


Midnight Machines

by Baellona



Series: Lights [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Blood and Gore, Creepy Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gore, Inspired by Music, NSFW, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Sexual Tension, Smut, Titans, breakup with shitty boyfriend, glad to be rid of him tbh, i'm not kidding this guys an ass, you and levi clearly wanna piece of each other so just get to it already damn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 05:36:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15163814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baellona/pseuds/Baellona
Summary: Two years after the gates of Maria were destroyed, you're a trainee soldier in the cadet corps. The tragedy caused you to lose yourself and become cold and antisocial - sounds familiar. You've just broken up with your lazy ass of a boyfriend, even though you know how unusual it is to even have a boyfriend in this world, and the liberty of being single hits you in the form of loudly singing during your afternoon shower. Little do you know, a certain enamoured Captain is outside listening.Lots of graphic sexual content for you lovely perverts ;)





	1. Same Sea

**Author's Note:**

> First of all I wanna say thanks to anyone who's reading this, as it means you were captivated by my summary! I wasn't sure what to write for it as I've never posted a fic before. That's not to say that the fic is gonna be bad (I hope - not to toot my own horn or anything)... I'm planning on making this long as FUCK, with regular updates. I really wanna get it done by the end of the summer. That's my goal! 
> 
> A little bit of background info: I got so tired of reading fics with the same type of character. It seemed to me that almost every reader character is either a badass or confident and brazen, or doesn't really have a personality. I wanted to write my own fic where the personalities were highly developed and detailed throughout. I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty fucking difficult to write a character that already exists, especially one as complex as Levi. I have to guess his responses half the time since we have no idea what he'd do, and the other half I'm going by canon facts on Isyama's blog etc. Man I hope it translates into a readable porn fic lmfao 
> 
> Some of the descriptive words are specific to a certain kind of character (me - oops!), as when I was writing the first chapter I didn't really wanna break the mood by putting insert words in. Also, I thought that the words I used were quite nice as they were, so when I went back to edit this I didn't really want to alter it too much. However, if this is something you'd like me to change, please let me know and I am more than happy to accommodate! If you would like, please change the words as you're reading to whatever suits your character better. I originally started writing the story as a personal thing where I shipped myself with Levi but then a few paragraphs in I was like nah might as well make it interactive ygm?? EDIT: I have fixed this!! 
> 
> The title of the story and the chapters are inspired by the album Midnight Machines by Lights. She's utterly incredible, she has such a good range of musical content. Highly recommend checking her out!! I will link the chapter-specific song in the end notes. 
> 
> Sorry bout the long and rambly intro, and thanks once again for happening upon my first story. I really hope y'all like it!!

**“URGHHHHH”**  


You stomped into your empty sleeping quarters that you shared with the other cadets and slammed the door loudly, hissing through your teeth, disturbing the peaceful serenity of the afternoon and stirring up dust particles with your furious outburst. You had grown ever more frustrated with your boyfriend and how clearly oblivious he was to irritating you, and for whatever reason, today was the final straw. To be fair to him, you weren’t exactly the type to let your emotions show through your regular stoic persona very often, if at all, and it seemed only natural that a man so young was so incapable of knowing what exactly pushed your buttons, but his frequent carelessness had sent the anger that you usually managed to keep locked away bubbling to the surface, and you didn’t want anybody to experience your wrath. As you collapsed on your lumpy cot with its thin, shabby blanket wrapped around your shoulders, you began to wonder whether you’d made the right decision. Should you have stayed with your boyfriend of almost two years, or were you right in abandoning him in hopeful search of someone who was more capable of pleasing you, more mature, more complimentary to your various personality flaws? 

_Tch. Yeah._ You scoffed to yourself. _Like I’d ever find someone like that in this shitty world. Everyone just dies._

You didn’t love him. You didn’t think you were even capable of love, not anymore. After you joined the cadet corps, he took an interest in you, complimenting your hair or your eyes or your unusually elegant way of soaring through the air in your 3DMG, just enough to interest you in return. He was so different to you, preferring a more laid back and comedic demeanor to your quiet intensity, and this had been attractive to you in the beginning. You thought that somebody more positive would be a good influence, maybe bring you out of your funk that you’d been trapped in for so long, but over time the many arguments you’d had and seemingly infinite times you’d disagreed had grown more toxic, bleeding their poisonous fumes into your everyday lives. Eventually the coil in your belly was wound so tight, one misplaced comment would send you flying into a fit of fury and abandoning your training, something which always caught the attention of the other cadets. While your face remained impassive as always, even at the height of your rage, it was hard not to notice when you dropped your gear, metal cylinders and scabbards hitting the floor with a loud clang, and walked stoically off towards the dorms. Put simply, you were hanging on by a very fine thread, and this afternoon’s drama had severed it. Enough was enough. 

You had been wanting to make your escape for quite some time, the stress of the training and the difference in personalities getting to you far more than you let on, but you had never been able to before. In this world, relationships were a luxury, and you knew you were lucky to have somebody that showed you occasional affection, even if your personalities clashed. So many people were eaten by the titans that forming emotional attachments was too dangerous, something you knew far too well. Your last relationship had ended this way, with your childhood sweetheart being devoured right before your very eyes during the Shiganshina incident 2 years ago. In that instant, you turned from a warm and kind soul into a moody, grief-stricken husk, no longer able to let your face find the sunlight. You joined the cadet corps the very next day, leaving your old life behind and not looking back. 

You stopped allowing yourself to show emotion, barely speaking to anyone unless directly presented with conversation. You weren’t rude, more reserved, and your lack of socialising made the others uncomfortable. They had no idea what you had experienced or who you were before you joined the cadet corps, everyone long since given up on asking you about your past, since the only response you gave when questioned this way was a scowl from your half-lidded, delicately painted eyes. You sat on your own in the mess hall at mealtimes, perfectly content with the lack of conversation and you trained alone when possible, only pairing up with others when absolutely necessary. Most of the time, the rest of the cadets refused to go near you, fear of the bruises they would inevitably receive, as well as the damage done to their pride, too much of a disincentive to attempt a sparring session. You were a worthy contestant, easily worth a hundred other soldiers on your own, and no matter how many times the boys in your squad had tried to cockily claim superiority, you beat them down into the dirt with ease every single time, gaze intense and piercing, barely a sweat broken out on your clear skin. It was unsettling, to say the least. 

You were thankful that this recent fiasco with your former boyfriend had occurred when the rest of the squad were out on training exercises; you and a few others had to stay behind to clean the 3DMG that belonged to the more veteran members of the survey corps: The Levi Squad. You admired Levi. He was probably the only person who was capable of empathising with you, even though you had never noticed him so much as glance in your direction. You knew you were a strong and capable soldier, but you did not brag about it, honestly believing that you had done nothing to claim his attention (though the opposite held true). In fact, you didn’t really do much of anything besides training, preferring to keep your mind focused on your goals lest your thoughts shift into a more unpleasant territory without a distraction to keep them buried. You certainly didn’t strike up idle conversation with the other cadets, and you would have allowed yourself to be devoured before you opened up to any of them.

Taking your cleaning supplies and the gear, you went to sit as far away from everyone else as you could, content to work in silence until you could finish for the day, the promise of a cup of herbal tea and a warm shower calling you to your quarters. Just as you had begun to take the first set of gear apart, you heard familiar footfalls ringing in your ears. It was your boyfriend, looking cocky as ever. You flashed him a tight, thin-lipped smile, which you both knew by now was the only display of emotion he would ever get from you, and turned back to your task. He sat down next to you, watching for a minute, until his presence began to irritate you.

“Why aren’t you out with the others?” Your voice was as flat and monotonal as ever, slight annoyance evident to only those with a sharp ear.

Your boyfriend grinned. “Didn’t feel like it. Figured the rest can cover for me if someone asks. I hid in one of the supply sheds and took a nap instead.”

You could feel your blood starting to boil. You knew he was lazy, you had begrudgingly accepted it because you were aware of the rarity of lasting relationships in this world, but the training exercises were vital. Fighting the titans was fucking strenuous, and even though you were fit and strong, it still took it out of you. He was being foolish in skipping out for no good reason. There were cadets in that squad who had not slept properly for weeks, not eaten a decent meal in god knows how long, working their asses off because they knew they needed to be at peak physical condition in order to stay alive. Laziness got you killed, you’d seen it happen so many times before, and your boyfriend was being an idiot and throwing his life into the hands of trainees. On top of that, he put everyone else’s lives at risk. Selfish thinking like that wasn’t welcome in a group that depended so much on one another for survival.

If he had been adept at using the 3DM gear or at least hand to hand combat, you would have been more forgiving, but he was not likely to be earning any admiration from the superior officers any time soon. Your rage began to bubble again, as it often did when you spoke to your boyfriend, but none of it showed on your face. You simply looked bored, and you said nothing, cleaning the gear with slightly more vigour than before. Not that he’d noticed of course. He knew you liked to work in silence, concentration unbroken, and truthfully he thought it was strange. He couldn’t understand why you took everything so seriously, why you didn’t join in on his playful banter, believing you to be too uptight, too intense. He’d only stayed with you for so long for bragging rights. Even though you’d never done anything further than holding hands, with a shy kiss shared once or twice at the very beginning of your relationship, he liked to boast about how far the two of you had experimented, what he believed to be an impressive feat to bed somebody so antisocial. You’d heard him in the training grounds on more than one occasion, claiming he’d done all kinds of vulgar things to you, while gasps of shock and delight could be heard from the small crowd that surrounded him. Nobody had believed you were capable of anything so intimate, but you simply rolling your eyes and walking off to work with your gear by yourself was enough to convince them otherwise. You couldn’t be bothered to confirm or deny the allegations, and as long as it didn’t affect your concentration, you let it slide.

Returning back to the present, mentally shaking away the unpleasant memories, you glanced up at your boyfriend underneath your thick mane. He caught your eye and grinned, a half-lidded, one-sided kind of affair, and the arrogance he nonchalantly thrust upon you over such an important issue made something snap inside your mind. You quickly stood up, scooping up the now clean (or as clean as you were willing to get it) gear in your arms, and stalked across the training grounds. The boy you’d left behind knew to expect this behaviour by now and watched you go, admiring your graceful stride and the way you kept your head held high, until you stopped in the middle of the field. You stood still for a couple of seconds, thinking to yourself, and turned your head to look at him. 

“I hope you survive,” you stated impassively, no hint of emotion in your voice to betray your frustration for his actions, “but I’m ending this relationship now. Please don’t follow me or anything.” 

It was a simple goodbye, but it did the job and you turned back towards the storage shed to deposit the gear. He just gawked at you, mouth hanging open as he watched you leave, never imagining this outcome in a million years. He knew that neither of you held any sort of affection for one another, but you both knew how only the lucky few managed to find a long-term relationship. He also knew how easy it was for him to piss you off. He did it as often as he could, enjoying seeing your face become expressive, as rare as it was. He scratched at his head and sighed, staring at his feet, where he would stay for the next couple of hours, until one of the superiors barked at him for not finding something to do. You on the other hand were feeling rather pleased with yourself on the walk back to the barracks, but your anger ebbed over eventually, the desire to scream at somebody growing stronger by the second.

You finally reached your room, empty of course as everyone was still out training, and allowed yourself to blow out a huff of annoyance as you slammed the door. You lay in your bed for a little while, analysing the feelings that had surfaced after finishing a two year ‘relationship’ (if you could call it that), until the pull of that herbal tea became too strong to ignore. Standing up and stretching, you folded your blanket neatly on your bed and wandered off to the dining hall, knowing you’d find a pot of freshly brewed tea there at this time of day. You had no idea where it came from or who made it, but it was there every day like clockwork. Just as you’d suspected, when you reached your destination, the soothing aroma of chamomile drifted towards your nostrils, almost begging to be poured and sipped slowly over a book. This wasn’t a hotel, and you knew your place, but you had been given the rest of the afternoon as leisure time if you’d completed your tasks fast enough, a reward for your exemplary performance, so you were free to relax in the shade of the trees with your tea until it was time for dinner. 

You were so lost in your story that you hadn’t noticed the light fading slowly, only glancing up when you heard the boisterous chatter of the cadets back from their training. You rolled your eyes, knowing your peace and quiet time was over, and stood up to take your empty teacup and book back inside. It was darker in the barracks, torches illuminating your path as you made your way back to your room, flickering their strange shadows on the walls, unidentifiable shapes dancing before your hooded lids. It was late afternoon, and you had hoped that the girls you bunked with were outside using the remainder of the daylight hours to their advantage, but there they were, loudly chatting about nothing important or interesting to you and cluttering up your tidy space with their filthy, sweaty bodies. A scowl crossed your face as you noticed the blanket you had delicately folded earlier was now crumpled, knowing that the most excitable girl, who also happened to sleep in your top bunk, was the culprit. 

“Hey, [F/N]! How was your free afternoon?” 

You had no idea how she’d known about that, and it unsettled you slightly. You hadn’t told anyone, obviously. Perhaps she’d overheard you talking to the Commander about it. 

“It was fine. Thanks.” Monotone as ever, you didn’t want the conversation to continue any further after that brief exchange. You were too distracted to pretend to care about what she had to say. Returning your book to the shelf and gathering up your washing things, you decided that a shower was what you needed before dinner. It would give you a chance to avoid the girls for a little longer, and you would be able to clean off the dirt and the stress of the day. You were not usually one to postpone showering, but you rarely had a free afternoon and you wanted to make full use of it. Your showers often took a long time, frequently sandwiched between dinner and lights out, after your final round of training. You’d allowed yourself plenty of time between now and dinner, wanting to spend as much time as possible under the running water, the steam soaking through your pores and the scent of your citrusy soaps and shampoos permeating the air. It was relaxing, soothing, and just what you needed. 

Making your way towards the washroom with your little bag under one arm, a fluffy towel in the other, you breathed in the summer air. It was warm, making the need for a shower even more prominent, and through the windows you could see the trees blowing gently in the breeze. There weren’t many people around, all off doing their evening training or maintenance on their equipment, something which you were glad to have been allowed to miss for one day. It had been a long two years in the cadet corps, but you knew the end was in sight. Just one more year and you could join the Survey Corps, and work under Captain Levi. You were hoping that by doing this, you would be able to catch some time with him and ask him some questions about his skills, maybe even get him to teach you a few moves. It didn’t look likely. The Captain was about as approachable as a wasp. Still, you hoped. Sighing at yourself for letting your mind wander so far as usual, you finally reached the shower room. It was as gloomy and unsanitary as it normally was, ironic considering it was a place that was used for washing. But you supposed that all the dirt and shit would stick to the walls or the floor instead of draining away. You wished there was somebody to clean the tiles. It disgusted you. 

Grimacing at the filth, you set your stuff down on the floor, hung your towel up on one of the wall racks and turned the water pump on. It wasn’t immediately warm, but you were thankful that it would eventually get there, considering the amount of people living in poverty without access to heat lately. That was another reason you joined the military. The home you had lived in with your family had been destroyed in the Colossal Titan’s attack, and since you were already above the age of 12, you figured that it was a better option than living as a refugee begging for scraps. You didn’t want to take from those that needed it more than you, so you left your parents and promised with grim determination that you would make them proud. Unfortunately, they had been among those who were sent to reclaim Wall Maria. They did not return, and whatever hope you had of returning to your former self was lost. This was who you were now, and there was nothing anybody could do. Those around you would probably accuse you of being cold and emotionless, but this was simply not the case. You never stopped feeling your emotions, you just stopped expressing them. It was safer. If anybody knew how much you cared about them, it would open you up again for relationships that would kill you if they were snatched away. You didn’t want anybody to suffer for you either if you met an untimely end, so you quickly decided that solitude was the best option for everybody. The truth was, you longed for a friend, or maybe just someone who could understand why you were the way you were, but you couldn’t have that without endangering anybody. It was a cruel way to live, but you knew that after what you’d seen, what you’d already lived through… There was just no other option.

When the heater had finally finished warming the water, you stepped under the pitiful stream from the shower. Despite the lack of water pressure, you maintained your opinion that warm showers were a gift from heaven. A contented sigh escaped your lips as you let the water trickle down your body, pooling at your feet and flowing away to the large drain in the centre of the room. It was extremely pleasurable, as it always was, to feel the sweat and the dust slowly melt away, and it was one of the only times that you felt alive enough to let fragments of your old personality slip through the cracks. It started with humming, a simple tune from a song you’d heard long ago. You weren’t even aware that you were making any noise as you washed your hair, eyes closed in satisfaction while your scalp was tingling from the orange and mint-infused shampoo you were using. 

Outside in the hallway, a pair of short, powerful legs were standing frozen, the man attached to them listening intently to the beautiful, feminine sounds coming from the washroom. He had never heard somebody with such a heavenly voice before, and his only thought was finding out who the hell that pair of lungs belonged to. The sound was peaceful, and he briefly wondered whether he’d be able to rest better if that voice sang him to sleep at night. Since he was outside the cadet’s showers, he deduced it must be someone in your training class. When he tried to match the voice with the faces he remembered from your group, he was no closer to figuring it out. Most of the girls were too loud and abrasive for such a lovely sound, and he theorised that the rest were unlikely to sing in the shower; their monotonal voices were too much of a hindrance. He finally moved, folding his arms and leaning his back against the wall casually, and listened for a little longer, the scowl on his face less pronounced than usual. In truth, the sweet singing had lifted his spirits, beaming rays of bright sunlight into the corners of his soul that had remained abandoned for a long time, Isabel being the last person capable of that. You had started singing a new tune by the time Captain Levi had stopped thinking about Isabel and Furlan, and the soothing melody performed with breathy falsettos floored him, quite literally. He took a quick look around, making sure he was the only one there so as not to arouse any suspicion for sitting outside the cadets’ shower room, and slumped to the ground quietly. 

_“And when the currents take us out again, to opposite oceans, out of the hands of safety_

_From the shallows to the deepest end, places we break and bend, you’re the one in it with me_

_No matter how far we get, oceans we are in still connect_

_And when the currents circle back again, they’ll carry us with them, to the arms of the same sea”_

Levi closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the wall, one leg folded with his wrist resting on his knee, the other spread out across the floor. The divine smell of your shampoo and body wash began to drift out of the door towards him, and the delicate fruity and minty fragrances softened his features a little. It was then that he decided that he simply had to take a peek inside the shower room to see who was in there. He felt creepy just thinking of spying on a naked woman, but he almost couldn’t help himself. He needed to know. He knew he could have just waited until you were finished, but he was too damn awkward to strike up a conversation with you, which would surely happen once you found him rooted outside the door like a fucking shower gremlin. He cursed his terrible communication skills. Taking another quick glance either side of the door, he slowly stood up, with the intention of making as little noise as possible, and tiptoed to the door frame. There was no door to the shower room, the cadets having to learn that privacy was a luxury they were not afforded very early on.

By the first few months of training, everybody was used to seeing each other’s bodies, and it didn’t phase them as it once had. Levi was praying that your back would be to the door, or that your eyes would be closed or something so you wouldn’t see him staring at your naked body. His actions weren’t driven by sexual desire or anything like that, he just wanted to know who you were. However, he was acutely aware that if you caught him you were unlikely to see it that way, so he inched himself inside the room with the utmost care. It was steamier inside than it was in the corridor, making it difficult to see, which he was thankful for, but the scents were a lot stronger too. No matter how tough Humanity’s Strongest was, he was still a man with a weakness for a woman who smells good. It almost made him want to walk up to you and wash you himself, hands gliding across your soft, milky skin, squeezing your breasts and finding their way to your hair where he could pull you to him and kiss you roughly. The grime around the walls and the floor disturbed him greatly, and he managed to shake the images of a faceless woman out of his head. Trying his damnedest to stop the heat from reaching his groin, he took one tentative step closer so he could see you through the fog. 

The first thing he noted was that you were indeed facing away from the door frame. This was favourable for Levi as he knew you wouldn’t be able to see him ogling you, and he could quickly step out of the room should you start to turn around as he was still fairly close to the exit. The next note was your identity, and although he could only see the side of your face when you turned your head to the wall, he had no doubts of who you were. It definitely surprised him, being one of the last people he would have considered, but his face remained the same, eyes half-lidded and lips a perfect straight line. That was, until said eyes travelled down your back and rested on your ass. It was firm and round, and Levi found himself longing to squeeze it. Your long, muscular legs were slightly apart, making the captain’s pupils dilate slightly at the view, which increased tenfold when you gracefully bent down at the waist to retrieve your bottle of moisturising lotion from the floor. The way your cheeks were spread apart, revealing your exposed core made Levi’s mouth go dry, and there was no way he could stop the bulge from forming in his pants. Deciding it was time to leave now that he’d gotten more than he came for, he quickly turned around and dashed through the door frame, begging the powers that be to not let anybody see him with a tent in his trousers.

The scuffling of feet on tiles alerted you to the presence of someone else in the proximity. You silenced yourself immediately, worried not for the invasion of privacy but for the very real possibility that someone had heard you. It was not a pleasant thought. There was a reason why you were so unsociable. You were aware that your voice was smooth and in tune, but you knew that if the others found out about it then they would force you to demonstrate, pushing you into unwelcome conversations and not allowing you your solitude. It was vital that your talent remained a secret, especially as it was not useful on the battlefield. The worry haunted you as you shut the water off and quickly dried yourself. For the first time in a long time, you were afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Reader-chan is singing in the shower is called Same Sea. Here is a link: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uFnt8wlsYo
> 
> This song is my favourite on the whole EP I think. It's so beautiful, and I think it kinda fits with the theme... Maybe. Any comments/suggestions/feedback is very much appreciated. Thank you so much for reading the first chapter!! :) :)
> 
>  
> 
> 09/08/2018 edit: here is the song in electronia form!! So goooood :D  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tjblu5jaBM


	2. Meteorites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both you and Levi are internally battling with the aftermath of the shower incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again for everyone who has read the first chapter of my little story! All feedback has been taken note of and I hope this next chapter is to your liking! This chapter is slightly shorter than the last and I'm sorry about the lack of smut but I wanted the character personalities to be established a bit more before I get them to go nuts on each other. It's gonna be delicious when it happens. Bear with me.

Levi paced around his room with agitation, a frown set firmly on his features. He was ashamed of what he had done, no question, but he couldn’t help feel relief that it was you with the lovely voice, and not any of the other cadets. For one, you were significantly older than the rest. A little while ago, Levi had heard Keith and Erwin discussing your progress, and although he’d stood leaning against the wall of the office with his arms folded looking bored, he was inwardly impressed. He’d looked up your files, wanting to know more about you, and was honestly taken aback at how old you were. In a less combat oriented climate, you would have been considered young. 

Your 22 years offered you little real world experience, but you were a decade older than the fresh recruits, which automatically interested him and filled his mind with questions he longed to ask you. He watched you in action. The way your eyelids never seemed to lift even in the most strenuous of circumstances, the way your long ponytail fluttered behind you as you flew through the air in your 3DMG. He wanted to make sure you would command the respect you deserved. He shuddered at the thought of how easily he could have walked in on an extremely underaged cadet. 

Levi had put two and two together and gathered that you had joined the military after the Shiganshina incident, but he could never quite figure out why you had left it so late to join. Surely, if you were interested in the training corps at all, you would have joined when you were 12 like the other brats? He couldn’t quite wrap his head around it, and it occupied a lot of his insomnia-driven late night thoughts. Since then, he made a point to observe you from afar. He secretly hoped that you were planning on joining the Survey Corps after your training was completed, knowing that you were the most impressive soldier anyone had ever seen since, well… him. 

He couldn’t stop himself from seeing your perfect ass in his head again, your soothing voice like a lullaby to his thoughts. He was disgusted with himself. You were a damn trainee, and not even a graduated trainee at that. You still had another year to go before you got to choose your regiment to join, and there was no guarantee that you would even consider the Survey Corps. With a skill set as finely tuned as yours, you would easily make the top of the class. You were probably aiming for the Military Police, as most talented individuals were, so you could honour your family and live a life of safety, worlds away from the titans that ravaged the place you once called home. Levi scowled and slumped down into his armchair. _Fucking Military Police pigs._ He’d never quite warmed up to them for how many times they tried to capture him back in the Underground City.

On the other side of the base, tucked away behind some storage sheds and close enough to the stables that you could _smell_ the horse crap in the air, the female barracks lay empty… Except for one soldier. You were sitting on your bed frowning to yourself with your legs folded up to your chest, arms hugging your knees to keep them in place. You had all but sprinted to your room after your shower had been invaded. Titans, you could deal with. Your own death, you could deal with. The death of your comrades, you could just about deal with, and only because you had no other choice. But somebody finding out your secrets? You couldn’t deal with that. It meant hours of careful planning, withdrawing even more into yourself. 

Your showers were the one real pleasure you had, the only time you ever let your stony mask crumble away to reveal your radiant smile. The warm water had just always had that effect on you, even before the tragedy. You didn’t know why you were so sensitive to a steamy shower, but the delicious sensation of your body being rinsed, combined with the sound of the water as it hit your skin and the scent of the soap, always managed to resonate deep within your soul. It made you feel brand new, like a clean slate, if only for a little while. When you were under the water like that, there was no way you could hide your satisfaction. 

Even staring in the face of death and existential nihilism, you still managed to relieve the tension with the water and the bubbles. If somebody had discovered that you did in fact have feelings, it would mean endless questions. _Why are you so antisocial? Why do you pretend not to care? Why won’t you be our friend?_ Dammit, you were reclusive for a reason! You didn’t want to deal with this crap! The disturbance made you irritated. How _dare_ this person just barge in on you while you were showering?! You didn’t care about them seeing you naked - you’d probably seen whoever it was naked too - but you hadn’t shared your singing with anybody, and you didn’t intend to change that. You knew you had to find whoever it was that heard you, but you had absolutely no idea how. If there was one thing for certain, it was that you would have to start talking to people. The thought alone filled you with the deepest dread.

Dinner time rolled around eventually, signalled by a loud toll of the bells on the gate of the training camp. It was like this every day, and you always expected it, but after the events that had transpired this afternoon, the bell rang straight through your ears and startled you, rattling your bones. You could feel the vibration of sound in your body. You had completely lost your appetite, too humiliated to face whoever it was that had heard you singing. It was an awful feeling. They knew who you were but you did not know who they were. They had the upper hand, the information on you should they wish to use it. You hated how powerless it made you feel. A sharp flash of anger shot through your limbs as you thought this however, and you stood up to look in the mirror. You spoke aloud:

 _“Listen to me. You are a soldier, not a baby. You have a **duty**.”_ Frosty, narrowed eyes glared back at you. _“There’s no reason to feel so afraid. Whoever heard us will probably confront us about it. If we expect it, they’ve lost the element of surprise. Stay calm, stay focused. You need your strength.”_

“Hey, [F/N]. Were you… talking to yourself?” You repressed the urge to jump out of your skin at the second intrusion of the day. Curse your bad luck! Why did this keep happening?  
“No.” You offered no more explanation than that one word, staring daggers into the eyes of the girl who had disturbed your little pep talk with yourself in the mirror. She looked alarmed at your sudden ferocity and decided to back off. You suspected that she’d had run to the barracks to grab her jacket before dinner; your assumption was confirmed when you spotted her leaving the way she came. She glanced back at you with a strange look on her face as she tugged her jacket on over her shoulders. You closed your eyes, frowning and pinching the bridge of your nose with your left hand. You were starting to feel a little hungry after all. 

...

Levi wanted to skip dinner. He was too repulsed by himself to feel like he deserved to eat anything. He knew he had no choice though. It was important to be at full strength for survey missions and expeditions outside the habitable walls. There was no sense in punishing himself when the rest of the team required his capability to survive. Two years ago, Wall Maria was breached, reducing the land occupied by humanity to far too small a size to be sustainable, and the advancement of the human race depended on the efforts of the Survey Corps. Levi was completely aware of this. It was what he told himself when he felt like buckling under the immense weight he carried on his shoulders. He felt so alone. Standing up and out of the chair that he had fallen into in anxiety-ridden exhaustion, the captain breathed a weary sigh and made his way to the mess hall. His hands were in his pockets as he walked, and he was so deep in thought that he didn’t even notice when he collided with someone. 

Your hands were fisted at your sides as you strode along the corridor. The chat you’d had earlier with yourself had reactivated your imperturbable expression because you knew that the only way to avoid embarrassment was to feign innocence. Worst came to worst, you could always just ignore everybody as you usually did. You saw no need for panic, everything was going to be fi-

“Tch. Watch where you’re going, brat.” Although the words were spoken harshly, the mouth they tumbled from was dripping with honey. The voice was pure caramel, reverberating through your fingertips and shooting beams of intense warmth up your arms. You felt goosebumps prickle upon your delicate skin. You knew at once who you had bumped into, just from the authority that voice commanded alone. You stood upright and saluted, looking him in the eye.

“Captain Levi, sir. My apologies. I was not watching where I was walking.” There was no hint of emotion in your voice. Your eyes were half-lidded, brows perfectly straight. If Levi didn’t know better, he would have said you were bored. He was taken aback by your professionalism. He knew you had no idea that it was him who had spotted you in the showers earlier, but even so, he would have expected you to hear his frantic escape. He knew he’d made at least a little noise against the tiles as he’d turned. You couldn’t have seen him, so how were you still so uncaring? How could you look him directly in the eye without so much of a blink? Were you not suspicious of everyone? Maybe he was grasping at straws. It was like he almost wanted you to have caught him, then he’d at least have an excuse to talk to you. It took all his concentration to return your intense gaze, banishing his momentary confusion to the depths of his mind to be examined later. Little did he know, inside you were shitting yourself. You were just adept at hiding it.

You digested the sight of the captain standing before you. It was the first time you had ever seen him this close before. He was a little taller than you, but not by much. This surprised you, as his intimidating reputation gave rise to an image of him that was slightly different to how he really was. His short stature comforted you a little, actually. He felt a little bit less frightening to be around. You knew he was unmatchingly strong, but it was just a fact that men who had been blessed with height were bigger and scarier. It was like the difference between being cornered by a bear or a wolf - both were scary, but you were less afraid of a wolf. Nothing you could do about that. 

His shockingly dark tresses fell in curtains over his forehead, shaved into an undercut towards the base of his scalp, captivating you. His skin was about as pale as you’d ever seen, perfectly clean, but there were various scars and scratches littering his face. Most were too small to see, but you did have an eye for detail. It was one of the things that made you such a formidable foe. Your instructors were still dumbfounded at how you managed to hit the target dead on every time. 

Levi stood with his arms folded and legs slightly apart, scowling at you. He had watched your eyes explore his form, feeling a little nervous. What if you were smart enough to see through him? Nobody had ever looked at him the way you were looking at him now. He peered into your face; saw the blank expression. Your eyes were… different. They were definitely hard to read, he was sure of that, but not impossible. He thought he sensed curiosity and admiration in your gaze before your pupils snapped back up to meet his.

He didn’t let his nervousness or his confusion appear on his face, but as much as he succeeded in hiding it from everyone else, he could not hide it from you. You tasted the change in the air. It was an unusual, weak flavour... like a very diluted cup of tea. Like someone had only steeped the leaves for a moment or two before discarding them. It made your eyebrows knit together slightly in concentration. You could feel the hints of flavour pooling on your tongue, as difficult to detect as they were. They tasted like… shame. Apprehension. Anxiety. You couldn’t fathom why the captain would suddenly feel these things in front of you, a trainee. You had not tasted the change until he had locked his molten steel eyes with yours. Bowing slightly in apology for colliding with him, you turned on your heels towards the mess hall. Levi watched your hips move with each step, remembering the sight of your naked body so close, but so out of reach. He felt so foggy. He hated the unfamiliar feeling.

…

Dinner was uneventful. The captain casually watched you eating your meal in a corner from the other side of the room. You were deep inside your own thoughts, swimming against the tide of emotions you kept to yourself. The food you were eating had no flavour, which wasn’t exactly unusual, but you were too distracted to notice anything about what you were putting into your mouth. It was standard military dinnertime rations: a bowl of soup, a roll of bread, a steamed potato and a murky glass of water. You remembered the first time you ate here. You had been sitting alone, of course, when a tall boy with moderately long dark hair came and sat opposite you. You looked up, noticing the way the flickering lights bounced around his locks. He looked like he had been dipped in melted chocolate. 

“Hello. I hope you don’t mind if I sit here.” His voice was soothing to your frazzled nerves. You didn’t know why, but you welcomed his unexpected company. He had fair skin, but it was the kind of skin that was only fair from lack of sunlight. His long nose was dotted with pale little freckles that you could only just make out in the candlelight of the mess hall. The smile he offered you was warm and friendly, and despite your stubborn silence and your scowl that had earned you your solitude in the first place, the boy didn’t really seem to care about your lack of response. He sat with you until he’d finished his food, watching you, not saying another word until he got up to leave. He turned around and smiled at you again. You couldn’t help but notice how pretty his smile was.

“You have beautiful hair. It looks very soft. I hope you’ll let me find out just how soft it is some time.” 

_What?_ You were not expecting that. You looked up at him in surprise and your confusion earned you a crooked smirk. His forest green eyes sparkled mischievously and he winked at you before turning to take his empty plate and bowl away. You thought about those eyes for the rest of that first night.

From across the room, Levi noticed the slightest change in your expression. What had been an unreadable mask for as long as he had been watching you, now held confusion and sorrow. It was as if you were upset about something, but you weren’t sure why you were upset about it. In a second it was gone, replaced once again by the calm, somewhat bored look that you wore most often. Somewhere inside him he wondered what had crossed your mind when your face flickered like that. Somewhere even deeper, perhaps so deep he barely even noticed, the captain yearned to wipe that sorrow from your face himself.

Really, what would be the worst case scenario if he informed you of his presence in your shower that afternoon? A well-deserved slap? The loss of the respect you potentially held for him? Levi didn’t really stand to lose anything he couldn’t get back. The problem was how to tell you though. He knew he was an awkward shit. He could barely string a sentence together if it didn’t have some kind of snide comment or targeted insult to it. He didn’t want to make the situation any worse, but nor did he want you to lose sleep over his unannounced visit. He sighed and threw his teaspoon down, allowing it to clatter against the cup, disturbing the nearby soldiers for a second with the sudden noise. He ran a hand over his exhausted face and cleared away his dinner things, leaving the mess hall with one final glance in your direction. He met your eye, admiring the flash of colour as he passed you. 

…

Why did you have to think of him now? You were happy about leaving him, right? He was nothing to you, not anymore. Had he ever been something to you? You ran your fingers through your still slightly damp hair, groaning internally. The action kicked you back to the present, and all of a sudden a different man was on your mind. Why was Captain Levi nervous around you? You hadn’t imagined your first meeting to be so awkward. How was it that he had not seen you coming and dodged out of the way? Maybe he had seen you, and was waiting for you to move. He was the superior officer, after all. _I think I’m reading too much into this…_ Your thought was interrupted by the clatter of the captain’s cutlery hitting the table on the other side of the room. He was standing up, making his way towards the exit. 

You watched in admiration the way his body moved. He was small, but he commanded a power that was completely foreign to you... He looked like he could crush you with just his fingertips, despite your almost unmatched strength, and he knew it. There was something deeply alluring about a man who possessed such a juxtaposition of raw, sharply refined ferocity. It was like someone had covered a lion with a blanket and called it safe. His biceps flexed inside his shirt as he reached for the door to the corridor. You were not expecting him to turn around and look you directly in the eye, but you knew you had to return his gaze with one of as much intensity as you could muster. The fervour from you directed at him was enough to bring a normal man to his knees, but Levi was no normal man. You realised in a split second that while his face always remained impassive, his eyes held all his secrets. You longed to feel them on your tongue, the delicious flavours you’d sampled earlier combined with the unrestrained taste befallen to you now had piqued your curiosity. You had to talk to him, but what about? What could you possibly possess yourself to interest a man like that? If he were an unrelenting tempest, you would be a gentle breeze. You knew in an instant that you wanted that kind of force next to you in the battles to come. 

There was too much adrenaline pumping through your body after your moment with the captain for you to sleep right away. The evening had arrived and the moon was full, chasing away the shadows left by the setting of the sun. You were outside past curfew, but it didn’t matter. You had found a quiet spot on the training grounds in your first week here, and you frequented it often when you needed space. Leaves blew softly in the night air, the slight chill mitigated by your warm jacket. The moonlight was soft against the treetops, gently reaching down to caress your skin and bathe you in its comforting glow through a gap in the foliage. You preferred the night time to the day. The sun was harsh, blinding and burning everything in its path, but the moon was calming and kind. You always felt at peace when you could lie down beneath the safety of the trees and gaze up into the night sky, admiring the constellations twinkling above you. It gave you great comfort to know that no matter the result, the stars would always be there waiting for you at the end of every day. You did not know how long you stayed outside beneath the iridescence, but you did not leave until your mind became foggy enough to fall into slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song this chapter was inspired by is called Meteorites. Another calming and soothing song. All the songs on this ep are like that really. Despite Levi and Reader-chan's ferocity I think they're both just sad inside. Listen to the song here: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQkQqOXiwqA


	3. Muscle Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi sends a certain green-eyed boy to tell you he wants to train you privately. You know what that means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Thank you for all your lovely comments, kudos and hits! They make me feel so motivated honestly. The first chapter took me over a week to write but after posting it I wrote the next two in like 3 or 4 days. Crazy! No smut again, sorry!! There will be soon I promise, just not for another few chapters while the tension builds. Thank you again as always for reading, and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!! :)

You were floating, naked, in the middle of a crystalline lake surrounded by dense forest. The moon was bright and full in the star-studded sky, reflecting its soothing glow across the surface of the water, peppering your skin with its sweet caress. The cool water was lapping away at your exposed flesh in a soft embrace, as tender as a lover’s first kiss to virgin lips. Mountains in the backdrop stood proud against the heavens, their snow-capped peaks a beautiful, striking contrast against the midnight hue of the night sky. Below you, at the bottom of the lake lay pebbles of all shapes and sizes, tumbling against each other in a rich clackety sound from the delicate ripples of your movements. Apart from the noises of the water and the rocks, the night was completely silent. You’d never felt so utterly and completely at peace. 

A loud knocking stole you from your serenity. Your heavy lids opened slowly and adjusted to the darkness of the room, closing again when you wiped your hand across your face. Whoever it was had better have a fucking good reason for disturbing your dream. Your late night was catching up to you, teasing you with the warmth and comfort of your bed as you stood up with aim to crank open the door and scowl at whoever stood outside. The chime of the clock tower in the distance told you that it was approaching dawn, so you were sure that the intruder wasn’t just a random cadet visiting one of the other girls you bunked with. They were all still fast asleep anyway, light snores floating through the stillness of the early morning air. You pulled open the door to reveal the face of a young man you’d never seen before.

He was taller than you, as most people were, but not obscenely so. His eyes were large and expressive, dominated by bluey-green irises, framing his tanned, sharply defined face quite nicely. His shaggy hair was a warm brown colour, tumbling over thick, furrowed eyebrows at the edge of his forehead. He had a cute little nose, slightly upturned, and his lips augmented with his brows to set firmly into a frown. He looked no older than 13, and it was obvious he was a fresh recruit. As soon as you’d opened the door, he flashed you a nervous, toothy smile.

“Hey, are you [F/N]? I’m Eren. Captain Levi sent me to tell you that he wants you to meet him on the training grounds straight after breakfast today. He said something about private training. Why is the captain of the Survey Corps here anyway? Isn’t this the Cadet Corps base? Shouldn’t he be wherever the hell the Survey Corps HQ is? I mean don’t get me wrong, I love that he’s here because he’s just the coolest ever, I mean, he’s humanity’s strongest soldier! And he sent _me_ to find you!! Come to think of it, why _did_ he send me? Maybe I was just the only person in the area and he needed the message delivering quickly. I’m pretty pleased that it was me though becau-”

You placed a finger over his lips to shut him up. It was way too early to entertain the ramblings of an overexcited child. You pulled your mouth into a line and stepped out of your room, shutting the door softly behind you in courtesy of those still sleeping inside before turning to face him. You folded your arms and looked up at him stoically for a few seconds, until your hand darted out and grabbed him by the sleeve to tug him away from the barracks and into the cool air of the early morning. He stumbled along at your heels, looking very embarrassed when he tripped over his own feet in the dirt. You were barefoot and in your sleeping attire, which was nothing more than a pair of loose trousers and a thin cotton shirt, but you didn’t mind the chill. It helped you to wake up properly, actually. When you had let go of his shirt, he looked down at you expectantly, confused that you’d suddenly dragged him off without a word. You folded your arms again. 

...

The boy was nervous; he couldn’t prevent himself from wordlessly revealing that to you. He always talked a lot when he got nervous. He couldn’t help it, the words just tumbled out of his mouth like vomit. He was a little tired himself, but he perked up somewhat when he felt your index finger softly come to rest upon his lower lip, effectively stunning him into silence. His eyes widened at the unexpected contact, and he could feel the telltale warmth of an unwanted blush creep up his neck and over his cheeks. He watched your face intently, noticing how clear and bright your skin was, and how beautifully it contrasted with your silky hair.

If you were feeling anything at that moment, you weren’t showing it. Eren’s blush brightened when he felt the tug on his sleeve taking him along with wherever you were going. He was so startled by the suddenness of it that he lost his footing and stumbled, feeling extremely foolish and quietly cursing his uncooperative legs. Your fingers lightly brushed against his wrist as you released his arm from your menacing grasp, an oddly caring gesture that contradicted the lack of expression you wore on your face. It was as if you meant to reassure him, calm his nerves. He had been slightly frightened that you were going to scold him, but the gentle touch you had laid upon his skin had just left him feeling confused instead.  
...

“Every six months or so the commanders of all three regiments come to the training camp to assess the progress of the cadets. They keep an eye on the ones they want most for their division. They usually stay for about two to three months while they prepare the plans for their next assignments. Commander Erwin always takes Captain Levi because he’s been crucial in the public’s funding of the Survey Corps and because they have a lot of respect for each other. He also points out the most promising cadets to Erwin. Obviously the cadets get to choose their regiment, but the commanders are allowed to influence their favourites.”

This was the most you’d spoken in one go since you’d joined the military, but there was something about this boy that made you want to indulge his curiosity. He was beyond naive - he was completely clueless, and you worried that he would be eaten alive (quite literally) once he got outside the walls. He was bristling with determination, more than you’d ever seen carried by a cadet before and you felt a sharp pang at your heart. You wanted to help him, to take care of him, but getting close would risk too much. You prayed with violent animosity that he would have friends who would watch his back out there, vowing to look out for him from afar. 

Eren watched your impassive face as you spoke patiently to him, finally noticing the dark circles atop your prominent cheekbones, and he felt a wave of guilt tickle his skin at how he’d woken you so early. To be fair to him, when he had bumped into the captain on his way back from the toilet, he’d given no mind to the early hour at which he’d agreed to relay the message, too starstruck at meeting his hero to consider that you were probably not even awake. It was only on his way to the female barracks that he realised he actually had no idea what you looked like. The captain had said you were small and looked ‘chronically pissed off’ though, so he knew he’d found the right girl as soon as you’d opened the door and glared up at him. 

You waited for him to respond to your explanation, and when he didn’t, his eyes studying your face too intently to be paying attention to your words, you gently put a hand on his shoulder. It seemed to startle him back to the present. _Good_.

“Ahh!!” He jumped. “S-sorry. I was miles away I guess.” You rolled your eyes. “Thanks for explaining. I’ll let you get back to sleep now. See you later!” 

With those final words, he turned on his heels and darted off back towards the male dorms. You watched him go for a few seconds, hoping he would never lose his innocent enthusiasm, before walking back inside your room to get yourself dressed. He reminded you of a lost puppy that was desperate to prove that it could survive on its own. Poor little puppies were always too focused on what was right in front of them to notice the sinister nightmares lurking in the shadows. 

The whole interaction with Eren had taken less than five minutes, and of course in that time the sun had barely risen from its blanket of clouds on the horizon, meaning the room was still as dark as it was when the boy had woken you up. The other girls were still asleep, snoring away, and you quietly grabbed your clothes from your drawers. 

The many belts and fastenings of your harness were always a pain to buckle, but after so many mornings of dressing yourself you were used to the process by now, tedious as it was. Your fingers worked automatically as you fixed your uniform in place, letting your mind mull over the message that the young recruit had delivered to you. Private training? With _Levi??_ It sounded repulsively cliche to you but you briefly wondered if this was still a part of that wonderful dream you’d been interrupted from earlier. You wracked your brain in feverish concentration… This had all happened after you’d bumped into him in the hall yesterday. He’d looked peeved then... but the language his eyes were speaking was telling you something different.

You were anxious about your meeting with the captain. You couldn’t lie that you were the most excited you’d felt in longer than you cared to admit, but you were facing a situation of complete uncertainty, like you were being ushered into a dark room with a blindfold over your eyes. The thought of not being in control was frightening. You decided that a run around the training grounds was what you needed to set your mind at ease before breakfast, and you were right. The grass was sprinkled with dewdrops, coating the soles and toes of your boots as you jogged, and the cool air whizzing past your ears felt wonderful, effectively calming your frayed nerves more with every step you took. You ran for as long as you had time to spare.

…

By the time the clock tower had alerted the camp to the serving of breakfast, the sun had risen quite far into view. The sky was dotted with wisps of fluffy white clouds, rich orange of the sunrise melting into pinks and deep purples as the night sank further into the ground. You could tell from the beautiful azure directly above that the day would be warm and kind. 

After another solitary mealtime of sitting and eating in silence, you made your way to the training grounds that Eren had mentioned. You’d spotted him in the mess hall as you were eating your standard slop, and he’d waved at you, throwing you a friendly smile. You’d returned the wave, somewhat stiffly, earning yourself such a beam of light from the young cadet’s eyes that it rivaled the sun itself. He was sitting at a table with two others, one a small and cowardly looking boy with a sleek blonde bob of hair, the other a serious and intense girl, pale skin and dark hair standing out from her surroundings. 

You spotted Levi leaning casually against a tree with his arms folded - his signature stance. The heat of the morning sun was making its appearance already, despite the early hour of the day, and you were endeared to your captain as you realised he’d gone to stand in the shade of the trees to escape the rapidly rising temperature. He looked so beautiful like this, you thought, his porcelain skin reflecting the light, making him look almost iridescent. He was calm and collected, waiting patiently without a hint of agitation or frustration. He wore a perfect mask that to most was unreadable, but you knew that underneath that, he was exactly the same as you: heartbroken, scared and unsure of himself. It was obvious to you from the first time you’d shared eye contact. 

The captain noticed you approaching and watched you from his peripheral vision, keeping his gaze locked on the trees in the distance. You were walking with your head high and your shoulders straight, and he admired your confidence in what he knew would be an unfamiliar and frightening situation. When you had closed the distance between the two of you, you saluted him.

“Captain. You wished to see me.” 

Your question was a statement, your voice smooth like silk to Levi’s sensitive ears. He could hear it now; the sound of the singing in the shower was obviously you... the tones and flavours of your words were the same. He kept his arms folded, his eyes on the trees and his posture lax against the trunk he leaned on. He was slightly nervous to speak to you after what had happened, but he was not showing it, and there was no way he was going to look at you until he was comfortable enough in your presence for him to be sure his eyes wouldn’t give him away. The way you had reacted to his intense stare last night at dinner had confirmed to him that you were much more than you appeared, so he was cautious, like you’d jump up and bite him at any given moment.

“I see that brat got my message to you alright.” 

“Yes, sir. He came to my sleeping quarters just before dawn to convey it.”

“ _Before_ dawn?” 

Why had he gone so early? Levi had just thought Eren would speak to you when he saw you at breakfast or something. Then again, he did look a little... eager. Strange child. 

“Yes, Captain. He woke me.”

At these words, Levi turned to face you, the tiniest speck of amusement buried deep in his gaze. He pushed himself forwards from where he was leaning and began to walk out of the shade, motioning you to follow him with his middle and ring fingers. You obliged, trailing after him into the open field, exposed to the growing heat once more. That shade really had been delicious, and you found yourself missing it when you had left its protective barrier. You understood why Levi had been resting there while he waited for you.

Seeing no use for unnecessary small talk, the captain stopped in the middle of the field and turned to face you, arms folded once more. 

“Show me your combat stance.”

You had been expecting this thanks to Eren’s considerate warning earlier, and you moved yourself into position without hesitation or confusion, raising your fists and separating your legs. Levi clicked his tongue in satisfaction at how quickly you’d obeyed his command, noting how firm and strong your limbs were. If this were a real combat scenario, you would easily have the upper hand. However, this was not a real combat scenario and he wanted to push you to your limits, so he scrutinised your form for anything he could adjust. You were showing more promise than any other cadet he had ever trained before. Encouraging.

You felt Levi’s eyes sweep over you as you stood patiently waiting for his assessment. You knew your stance was perfect to your instructors, but this was Humanity’s Strongest. He was bound to be more picky than everyone else. You were right. He instructed you to hit him, and when you swung your fist at his exposed face, he easily overpowered you and spun you around, capturing your hand behind your back, wrapping his forearm around your shoulders from behind and holding you there. 

The sudden proximity made you gasp quietly - you had not lost a single fight during your time in the Cadet Corps, and your pride took a hit at being defeated so quickly. Within seconds though, the feeling of shame at your submission had subsided, leaving your skin highly sensitive to the firm chest pressed against your back, and the strong arm wrapped around your throat. He was so close that you could feel his hot breath tickling the space between your jaw and your shoulder. You could smell his deliciously masculine scent floating towards your nostrils from his arm around you. It smelled like fresh tea and pine needles, a comforting sort of blanket-like smell. It made you feel safe, despite the compromising position you were currently in. His lips moved up towards your earlobe, bleeding their chocolatey whisper directly into your ear.

“If your form is wrong, then this is what will happen.” 

You couldn’t speak, afraid your voice would waver and betray you. The last thing you wanted was to look weak in front of Captain Levi, of all people. He released his tight grasp on the wrist that was still held behind your back, moving his hand up to your shoulder, while the arm that was wrapped around you was positioned to hold your other shoulder. He was still behind you, but not quite as close, and he adjusted his feet a little to steady himself. You felt his cool hands slowly slide down your arms, feeling his way across the smooth skin beneath his fingertips. When he’d reached your own hands, he encircled them effortlessly, having larger hands than you, and raised your fists up to the correct position. 

You heart was pounding so loudly in your chest that you were certain he would have been able to hear. You couldn’t deny the sparks of electricity you felt when his skin brushed yours, but you weren't sure if he felt it too. You were hyper-aware of his warm body so close to yours, and it made it a little difficult to concentrate, but you were so determined not to let him know how affected you were by his presence that you almost forgot to breathe. It felt profoundly intimate, something you were in no way familiar with.

Once Levi was happy with your combat stance, he let go of your hands and moved to stand in front of you again, his own fists moving into position as he instructed you to hit him again. Your fists managed to connect with something this time, as the slight change in how you were stood was working in your favour. He still managed to capture your hands in his own again, but this time it took him longer and cost him considerably more effort. He felt a surge of pride as he saw how quickly you had picked up his technique. 

You continued to spar with him in the field for a little while, taking everything he gave you in the way of instruction or advice, until the captain decided that it was time for a break. He directed you back over towards the shade, where he leaned himself against the trunk of a particularly large tree, the canopy of leaves providing some much needed protection from the heat of the midday sun. You must have looked uncomfortable (much to your chagrin), or perhaps Levi was just perceptive, because he motioned for you to sit down on the warm grass, producing two packets of lunchtime rations from his pockets and handing one to you. You took the food gratefully, your breakfast long since digested, leaving your empty stomach rumbling from all the physical exertion. 

You watched the captain out of the corner of your eye. His arms were folded, as usual, and one of his ankles was crossed over the other. He was munching away at his meal with his eyes half-lidded, looking away into the distance again. You wondered what was so interesting to him over there. You were about to break the comfortable silence and ask why he had ordered you to train with him in the first place, when you saw him quickly glance over in your direction. He was doing it discreetly, banking on your attention being elsewhere, and you supposed that he had no reason to believe otherwise. After all, you were as you always were: expressionless. 

“Sir?” you began, noticing the way his biceps stiffened ever so slightly at the sound of your voice disturbing the quiet.

“Hmm?” he did not turn to face you, continuing his surveying of the horizon.

“Why did you invite me to your training session this morning?”

He had been expecting your question, of course. It did seem like a pretty random thing to do. He wasn’t prepared for the way you had asked it though. He turned to look at you as you were phrasing your last question, and was left speechless for a few seconds by the emotion in your eyes. You were so reserved, so on guard for the rest of the word and yet for him, it was like you were pouring your every thought into those two orbs at the front of your face. He had no idea if it was intentional or not, but in that moment he didn’t care. You were so beautiful and pure, so strong and smart. He had to tell you the truth. 

He crouched down next to you, slight disgust evident on his features of the dirt on the ground so close to his hands. He watched you wearily, like he was afraid you would bolt, or slap him hard across the cheek if he told you what he was thinking. You waited patiently, feeling your heart speed up once again at the proximity. His eyes were looking everywhere but at your face as he tried to speak, sighing when he failed.

“I…”

You were at a loss for words. This was _Captain Levi_ , not an embarrassed cadet. He was the strongest soldier humanity had to offer. He could take down a group of titans with his eyes closed, so why was he finding it so difficult to answer your question? Why was he _stuttering?_

“I…” he began again, cursing himself internally for his fucking social awkwardness. “[F/N], I heard you in the shower.”

He finally lifted his liquid steel eyes to meet yours, expecting shock, but was taken aback when he saw you wide-eyed, staring up at him in pure, abject horror. He was almost certain you’d stopped breathing. 

“You… _You_ heard me?”

“Yes, brat, me. And then you had to bump into me, didn’t you? Tch. Knocked me sideways.” He grumbled his last thought at you, almost too low to hear, but your ears were sensitive. 

You couldn’t believe it. _Levi??_ At least you knew who it was, and at least it was someone you actually admired, but still. You were embarrassed to the max. You could feel the blush creeping up your cheeks, furious at your mask for slipping off when you needed to wear it the most. In that moment, it was gone, and Levi could see every emotion you were feeling. Shock, humiliation, grief, they all flashed through your face at once, almost too fast for him to identify, but within seconds, your mask had been replaced and you were perfectly impassive again. However, Levi had gotten a glimpse at what was beneath that stony exterior, which meant he was now able to see through it with ease. He was surprised to see relief gracing your delicate features.

After a few minutes of silence, Levi decided that your shame was something you needed to be alone to conquer. He knew how much quiet thinking it took him to get over situations that caused an open display of feeling. He graciously stood up and held out his hand for you, pulling you up as well when you placed your clammy hand hesitantly in his. He folded his arms, looking you up and down with his usual bored expression.

“Nice job today, [F/N]. You’ve got promise. Come and see me here again tomorrow, same time.”

He walked off towards the buildings, leaving you standing in the middle of the field. It would be a little while before you yourself could face the other cadets. 

He hadn't even properly answered your question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of the chapter is of the song Muscle Memory, and as always, here is the link:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1erencDgII
> 
> PS, if anybody is interested in the picture I used as a reference when describing the lake in Reader's dream, here it is!
> 
> https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eACMnbSjnMA/Ujm4kASN3tI/AAAAAAAAHco/3pwzuoCCQ84/s1600/moonlight_night-wallpaper-1280x960.jpg
> 
> I know it's photoshopped but it was what I was pretty much looking for - it probably took me about an hour to write the first paragraph alone, when you include the time it took to look for the image and proofread and stuff. My writing process is so slow because I'm a massive perfectionist and have to keep going back and changing bits so I don't think I'll ever be completely satisfied with my work but I hope you guys are enjoying what I've got so far!!!


	4. Up We Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the night before the Survey Corps leave for an expedition, and Levi has something exciting to tell you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew!! Sorry that this took longer than I thought to write. It was honestly bothering me so much because it's so close to the exciting stuff that I really wasn't motivated at all and I was so bored of writing it, but I got it done and it's finished and it's quite short but the next chapter is gonna be so fun I promise!!! As always thanks for reading and leaving comments and kudos, seeing such kind words makes me very happy :) please enjoy the latest chapter!!!

Weeks had passed since Levi had disturbed you in the shower, and you’d spent every available morning after the event, in the field training with him. He was teaching you things you’d never even hoped to learn. You wanted to impress him by proving you were capable of the advanced techniques he was so graciously bestowing upon you. One particular move of his had left you confused for a while, but you were determined to not let it best you. You’d spent the rest of the day alone learning that move, and by the time the morning with Levi had arrived, you’d perfected it, earning yourself a surprised half smirk from the captain. He didn’t smile much.

Levi hadn’t said so of course, preferring to casually insult your mistakes instead of praising your progress, but he was _so fucking proud_ of how much you’d picked up from him. He saw your improvement every day, quickly growing addicted to the feel of your soft skin against his hands when he blocked your attacks, and the delicate natural fragrance assaulting his nostrils with every swing of your fists. You didn’t know it, but your social awkwardness and your desire to be left alone when you weren’t training with him was resonating deep within your dear captain, since he knew nobody else who closed themselves off the way the pair of you did.

Although he hadn’t heard your singing since that first time, he still felt the sound cleanse his bad dreams, often waking up in the middle of the night, still wearing his uniform, with your name tumbling from his lips. He wasn’t sure why the thought of you was so soothing to him, but whenever he woke from a nightmare, he was comforted by the knowledge that he would at least get to spend the morning with you. 

Unbeknownst to him, you were gradually beginning to feel increasingly relaxed by his company as well. It was obviously no secret to anybody that you were a loner, but this was entirely by necessity, not by choice. You had seen what had happened to everyone you’d ever cared about, and the self-deprecating part of you had blamed yourself for it. Your decision to guard yourself off from the rest of the world was done entirely selflessly, but it was horribly misguided; your loneliness was something that could easily be fixed, if only you let someone in...

But sometimes, there was just no way to save everyone you wanted to. It was a cruel thing, but it was the very nature of the world you lived in, and you had come to terms with that fact. You would spend the rest of your life alone with nobody depending on you, until your days were inevitably cut short by the jaws of a titan.

…

“She’s already better than every single member of the Survey Corps, you included, Erwin! What’s the point in waiting another year for her to finish training when she’s more than ready now? We need her skills.”

“I’m sorry, Levi. She’s just too inexperienced. I’m more than happy to arrange for her to become a member of the Survey Corps when we get back, if she desires, but there simply isn’t enough time to prepare her for the expedition. It’s too risky.”

Levi was glaring furiously at his tall friend. He was right about you being better than Erwin. Although you were only a cadet with just two years of training and no outside experience under your belt, your strength on the battlefield was (almost) entirely unmatched. All those private lessons with him had finely tuned the already frankly ridiculous set of skills you possessed, to the point where no soldier besides Levi himself could even take you on, let alone best you. 

But what drew him towards you in the first place wasn’t how strong or brave or selfless you were, it was the way he saw everything he felt reflected in those beautiful eyes of yours. It was like you knew exactly how he was feeling, because you were feeling it too. He’d never met anybody like that before, and he knew that he could be himself around you. It was so comforting for the both of you to have a friend like that, who understood everything the other was dealing with. The support and sympathy you gave each other was wordless, requiring nothing more than a heartfelt glance or a sympathetic hand rested upon a shoulder.

Levi still hadn't seen you smile. He longed for the day where your face lit up like a firework display, and he secretly hoped that it could be him that caused such a marvellous sight. He could only dream. You were more reserved than even he. You were strong and capable, but that didn’t mean you were flawless. You had your own demons, and Levi could see them swimming around inside your eyes every time you looked at him.

Without realising it, he’d grown a little bit attached to you, which was a cause for concern. He was not worried about you on the battlefield; you could handle yourself, and he would always put the cause first. What he wasn’t spectacularly pleased about though was the thought of not seeing you every morning, eager and ready to learn, hanging on his every word. He was flattered by the amount of respect and admiration you held for him, evident by your willingness to follow his instructions without argument. The other cadets and members of his Survey Corps were respectful, of course, but they didn’t have the same empathetic vibe that you carried so silently on your shoulders. 

The captain left Erwin’s office, temper bleeding into the air so potently that the commander could taste it on his tongue. The next mission beyond Wall Rose was only a few days away. How could Levi even suggest that a cadet, who had never even left the sanctity of the walls, join them on an expedition that was likely to result in devastating losses to the Survey Corps? It was madness! Although, the cadet in question was highly skilled, and Levi was right in the sense that it would be pointless to force you into another year of training when they were already desperate for recruits. Erwin sat back down on his pristine leather chair and folded his hands over desk, digesting the situation.

…

The night before the expedition was due to begin, the sky was clear. Eren had invited you to sit with him and his friends at dinner, to which you politely declined, feigning a stomach ache as an excuse for your antisocial behaviour. The young cadet had been the first to be so persistent with his attempt to seek your friendship, and try as you might, you just couldn’t seem to shake him. Truthfully though, you had no desire to. Eren was a sweet boy, very passionate and motivated, and although the better part of your judgement warned you about the emotional dangers of making friends, there was just something about his innocent demeanour that captivated you. Maybe you saw little bits of yourself in him; your younger, more naive self. 

Abandoning your dinner for the solitude you were unlikely to be afforded had you stayed in the mess hall, you decided to practice with your 3DM gear a little more - just enough to tire yourself out so that your frantic brain could not avoid sleep, even if it tried. It was quiet outside the mess hall, since everyone was still in there eating, and you could feel a soft breeze dancing through the air, stroking your skin and playing with your hair. The amount peace that the night gave you was extraordinary. 

The torches of the camp were lit along roads, illuminating the path for weary travellers, but the lights were not so bright that the stars were invisible against the cloudless sky. Silhouettes of trees stood in contrast, their leaves rustling and trembling with the breathing of the air, creating the most comforting sound in your ears. It was still, and the constellations twinkled distantly in the heavens like miniscule diamonds; precious jewels, untouchable but by only the most holy of creatures. 

The storage shed that held your equipment was empty, as you suspected. You took the gear and signed the little book that registered 3DMG usage, neatly printing your name with your left hand and holding your stuff underneath both arms, before thoroughly attaching the metal canisters to yourself. When everything was ready, you set off into the forest surrounding the training camp, elated by how weightless the 3D maneuvering made you feel.

You had to admit to yourself as you were rocketing through the air, the most alive you had ever felt outside of the shower was amongst the treetops. The expanse of the view all around you was always breathtaking, particularly at night when the stars were visible. The freedom that came alongside the feeling of your hair fluttering behind you as the wind hit your face, the strength of your body that you felt when moving with your harness, the raw, untapped power that surged through you with every spin and twist of your swords… It was all you needed in the way of motivation. You hadn’t even been outside the walls yet, but the sight from the top of the trees cemented your desire to explore, to see everything that the outside world had to offer. 

Your thoughts began to wander into uncharted territory, consumed by a certain grumpy, raven-haired captain. It was late, and you were almost out of gas, but you didn’t want to return your gear just yet, so you spun around towards the tallest tree you could see. Climbing it with ease thanks to your mobility gear, you came to rest upon the sturdiest branch you could find, and tucked your legs underneath you as you sat quietly. The moon was hidden behind the buildings to your left, but that didn’t mean that its soothing glow was absent, brightening the darkness in a cool aurora. 

Alone and serene, you allowed your mind to once again return to your captain. Despite his sarcastic and often crude sense of humour, his presence in your mornings had become somewhat of a comfortable routine. His eyes were never more than bored and half-lidded, but they told a different story when your gaze lingered on them for longer than a second. It was as if every thought, every feeling he had ever had was written in tiny ink across the whites of his orbs, spelling out all his desires and fears for only those with the sharpest of minds to read. You knew firsthand how much shit a person would have had to have seen for them to close themselves off like that. 

You weren’t sure how late it was, but the sun had only recently disappeared for the night, and with this thought, you decided to stay in the trees for a little longer. You wanted to bask in the comfortable silence before you had to return to your room, no doubt filled with excitable young girls as usual. You breathed an exasperated sigh and stretched your stiff limbs out in front of you, one leg dangling off the edge of the tree branch, the other folded at the knee in front of you as a rest for your forearm. The trunk of the tree was behind you, providing a firm place for your back to lean on, and you shut your eyes, exhaling a contented breath and absorbing in the stillness of the late evening. 

A branch snapping beneath you alerted you from your tranquility. Was it an animal? No cadet would be all the way out in the forest this late, surely? You shifted your position, spreading your weight along the branch you were perched on by laying yourself down onto your front as quietly as you could manage. There was definitely the shape of a person wearing 3DM gear in the shadows of the trees, but no sooner than you’d had time to work this out, the shape activated the mechanism on its hip and shot off towards the branch directly below you.

As the person came to rest upon the protruding limb of your tree, you realised with a start who it was: the very person who had consumed your thoughts since you’d arrived on your own branch.

It was Captain Levi. 

…

What was he doing here? What were the odds of him finding solace in the one tree you were in? Was it some coincidence, or did he choose this tree because he sensed a comforting presence about it? _That’s ridiculous. He’s here because it’s quiet and he’s alone, or at least he thinks so. Maybe I should leave before he looks up and sees someone._ A tortured groan pulled you from your thoughts.

Looking down, you noticed that Levi was sitting on the tree branch with his legs folded and his head in his hands, rocking back and forth slightly. It was such a rare, disturbing display of vulnerability that you felt your heart ache for your beloved captain, wanting nothing more than to drop yourself gently down and comfort him. The similarities between how the two of you reacted to emotional pain was striking, and you knew exactly what you would want in this scenario, so if you could just-

“[F/N]...”

Your whole body froze, lying rigid against the branch of the tree. He had said your name, and not your last name, as was the practice when a senior officer was addressing a cadet. No, he had spoken your first name out loud, and you had never before heard the word sound so sweet. The way the syllables rolled off his tongue, floating in the air, ringing in your ears, sent a swarm of butterflies to flutter in your tummy. _Why am I so nervous?_

More to the point, why was he calling your name? Had he seen you? You prayed with your every ounce of strength that he had not accidentally opened himself up to you without his own consent. You were incredibly fascinated by this beautiful man, but you were considerate enough to not want him to reveal his feelings to you if he didn’t want to do so. You shivered in anticipation, deciding to wait another few seconds to gauge the situation. If he had seen you and wanted you to respond, you would drop yourself down and ask him what he wanted. If not, you would forgo the use of your 3DMG and climb down the tree manually, making as little noise as possible, and sneak away in the opposite direction. 

After about a minute of silence, you decided that it would be best for you to take your leave. Expelling the breath you were holding, you _c a r e f u l l y_ pushed yourself up from the branch, tiptoeing towards the trunk, holding on to the equipment at your hip to stop it from clattering against your thighs. When you were an arm’s length from the beginning of the tree’s limb, the voice below you spoke up again, stopping you dead in your tracks.

“Please come down here.”

Wide-eyed and embarrassed, you looked down to see the captain watching you from below, his bored expression ever-present on his handsome features. Collecting yourself, you wordlessly crouched low enough to hang yourself off the branch by your arms, letting go when your legs were positioned correctly above the lower limb. Levi watched as you let go and gracefully landed beside him, straightening your bent knees and tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. Your expression showed shame and remorse, but when you opened your mouth to speak, your captain unknowingly mirrored your action to Eren a few weeks prior, and placed a porcelain finger over your lips to prevent you from presumably apologising. 

“I knew you were up there, brat. I followed you from the storage room.” 

His voice was monotonous, despite the connotations of the words he spoke, and a small frown started to form on your face. You peered up at him in confusion, bright eyes sparkling in the dark forest. If he’d known you were there all along, why would he willingly display such emotion to you? It didn’t make any sense, so you continued gazing into his eyes, feeling a slight blush stain your cheeks at the contact of his finger on your soft lips. Thank the walls it was too dark to see. 

“I wanted to speak to you before I head out tomorrow.” Levi’s face told you nothing; his finger never moved from its position. “It seems that I had an assload of shit to do today in preparation though, so I didn’t get a chance until now.” He smirked, chuckling wryly. “Sorry if I startled you.”

You were _just_ about to respond to his explanation when his finger moved from your mouth and slid up your face, his cool palm cupping your cheek affectionately. The words caught in your throat and you gasped at his sudden tenderness, eyes widening slightly but not unlocking themselves from his intense stare. Your speechlessness allowed the captain to continue. 

“I wanted you to know that when I get back, I’m making you a member of the Survey Corps, and our next expedition outside the walls will be in one month’s time.” His voice was smoother than silk. “You’re doing good, brat. Take care of yourself until I'm home.” 

You blinked up at him in wonder at his declaration, allowing the words to reverberate through your core, the full force of the meaning like shooting stars through your veins. The realisation that you’d be able to leave the confines of the walls in _one month_ shattered your mask for just a second, and the look of surprise and confusion on your face was replaced with the brightest, most infectious smile Levi had ever seen in his life. _Finally_ , he thought to himself with pride. _I did that_.

Without another word, your beloved captain bent down and closed the gap, palm still encasing your cheek, pressed his lips to your forehead and jumped off the tree branch, whizzing away faster than anyone you’d ever seen. His delicate touch on your skin had left your cheeks bright red and your heart pounding away in your chest like a parade drum. Your fingers slowly moved up to where his lips had been just seconds ago, and the flames that were licking at your skin increased in intensity. You’d never felt these feelings before, but they were not unwelcome. However, somewhere in the back of your mind, your cage of worry and fear for the unknown was breaking its locks.

As Levi shot off back towards the base where he would spend the night, he couldn’t stop the grin forming on his own face at the thought of your eyes lighting up when he told you the good news. All of a sudden, he couldn’t wait to take you back to the Survey Corps HQ with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up We Go is the name, relaxing folky-pop is the game. Listen here! 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16icmzabk80


	5. Running With The Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scouting expedition has arrived. Levi's distracted and it gets him in trouble... Will he make it??
> 
> (Just a warning for this chapter, there are some graphic descriptions of gore/violence. You've been warned!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo-wee!! So sorry for the appalling delay in getting this out. As I said in the comments, I broke up with my abusive boyfriend finally! Yes, he did inspire this story. I based Reader-chan's shitty boyfriend on him. They're not 100% similar, but it's definitely him. 
> 
> Anyway, apart from that, this is the last chapter before the smut. Get yourselves ready, it's gonna be fucking delicious. I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since I started the story (a month ago today, I think!). I really wanted to try something a little different with it, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to write it almost completely from Levi's POV. I think it turned out pretty well, I hope I got Levi's character down!! It's my shortest chapter yet (by about 400 words - chapter 4 was the second shortest I think) I wanted to make this into a combined battle + smut/fluff chap but I thought I ended it pretty well and I wanted to get at least something out cause ik you guys have been waiting a while
> 
> Thank you so much for your patience. Sorry again for taking so long. I'm back in the zone now. ;)

_Is it too soon to tell him I’ll miss him?_

Waking up early was not an unusual occurrence for you. When the sun would rise amongst the treetops, bringing the sounds of the dawn chorus along with it, the peace of the atmosphere would reverberate through your very being, tangling delicate webs of comfort around your sleepy body. This morning, however… This was different. There was no choir of birds chirping their sweet songs to each other outside your comfy bed, there was no peace, there was only the sick feeling of dread burning its way up your spine. 

Humanity’s Strongest. 160cm and 65kg of pure strength. He might not look much, but he can pack a damn good punch. Realistically, there’s not a whole lot that’s likely to bring this man down, but he’s not invincible. This fact played on repeat in the back of your mind for what felt like forever, but was in reality just one very long, sleepless night. You couldn’t deny that you were worried about him, though you knew you probably had no cause to be. What disturbed you even more was the fact that you were worried about him in the first place. You’d spent two long years building up your defences against this sort of thing, these kinds of feelings, and now they were dominating your thoughts, infecting your brain like a parasitic worm? This was a major problem.

…

Alone in his chambers, the grumpy soldier sat with his arms folded, waiting patiently for Erwin to call him. He was tired, like he always was, but this was a new level of exhaustion. There was something different in the feeling… His eyes felt heavier, his skin felt more sensitive. The unpleasantness of it all was upsetting, to say the least. What if it distracted him when he needed to be on top form? There was no margin for error on scouting missions: you fight to your best ability, or you die. This was not an unusual thought to the captain, so why was he feeling so off? It felt almost like a malicious foreshadowing, but Levi was determined to brush those thoughts aside so he could focus on the job. 

Erwin’s arrival shook the man out of his sleep-deprived stupor, the equanimous tapping upon the wooden door echoing through the room, almost loud enough to raise the dead from their graves. The interruption to otherwise unpleasant thoughts did not go unappreciated by Levi, even if the glare he fixed towards the commander was as intimidating as it was cold. No words needed to be spoken when his tall friend’s head popped through the crack in the door he’d just opened; his grim nod was the only communication necessary between the two battle-hardened men. The captain rose from his seat in the corner, perfectly impassive face showing no sign of anxiety or discomfort, and exited through the door that had been left ajar.

…

Sunshine in the square; mid morning. The horses beat their hooves impatiently upon the dirt beneath them, their tense riders waiting for the call. The formation of troops was calculated, thought out to the very last detail in the hope that the survivability rate would increase, therefore the heady anticipation that hung in the air was naively mixed into a cocktail of confidence and assurance. Commander Erwin Smith sat proudly on his mount at the front of the group, shoulders tall and squared, hands resting on his lap, gripping tight to the reins of his well-trained steed. On his right hand side sat Captain Levi Ackerman, relishing in the adrenaline pumping through his body and alighting his fingertips with a feverish energy. A gentle breeze was blowing through the air, tickling the ebony fringe that lay neatly across his forehead. 

The military is rigid in form. Every routine practiced until it becomes second nature; every task completed by the individuals who are able to slot themselves into the well-oiled machine. Levi was the epitome of disciplined, albeit disloyal to those he held little respect for. Despite the nervous chatter amongst the soldiers surrounding him and the presence of the townsfolk, the captain was silent; his eyes half-lidded as usual, and his mouth set in a prim line. The hour struck, signaled by a loud toll of the clock tower, ringing in the skulls of everyone within earshot.

_**“ADVANCE!”** _

Hundreds of sets of hoofbeats clapped against the dirt at once, carrying the army steadily towards the wall with a deafening rumble. One by one, the troops arrived at the gate and passed under the arch. It had been two years since Wall Maria had been abandoned for the safety of the inner districts, and Levi longed for the day where he could leave the walls altogether and taste the fresh air once again. The cage was stagnating the atmosphere, like a toxic cloud of colourless, odourless gas that could only be detected in the absence of it.

…

The formation had split almost immediately after departing the safety of Trost District, and the brave captain had taken his Special Operations Squad to the back of the centre rank. The aim of the mission was to lay supply lines in preparation of the reclaiming of land, and the precious cargo stood protected by the most veteran members of the Survey Corps.

It had been hours, and not a single titan had been spotted from Levi’s place in the ranks. Whilst it was reassuring that the formation appeared relatively intact, it did beg the question: where were they all? The captain was on edge. His demeanour was of a calm and collected individual, but inside his mind was the spirit of a caged animal, ready to lash out at anything that came too close. 

Now I don’t know if you’ve ever ridden a horse, but they’re not exactly the most comfortable creatures to sit on. The saddle, unless made from quality leather, is hard and tough against your ass. The movements of the animal are erratic and jolty, and unless you are an experienced rider, it can take a lot of getting used to before you’re fully able to get comfortable on the back of a steed. Fortunately for Levi, he was a very experienced rider - amongst other things - but despite his wealth of knowledge, even he was not immune to the ill effects of sitting down for hours. Before long, the ache in his lower back was starting to get a little uncomfortable, and he shifted in his seat some, hoping to relieve his sore muscles.

Repressing a groan, Levi glanced to his side when he saw the faint hint of black smoke in his peripheral. _Black_ smoke? An abnormal? 

“Shit.” Levi muttered under his breath, raising his signal flare and shooting the black shell into the sky. 

Behind him, the Levi Squad were tensing and preparing for battle. If an abnormal had made it this far into the formation, that meant that the scouting ranks were not doing as well as the captain had previously thought. _Explains why it’s so fucking quiet. I knew it was too good to be true._ How could things have fucked themselves up so badly in a matter of hours? It would have been amusing to him, if the lives of the entire Survey Corps weren’t at stake. _Guess I’ll have to take care of it myself._

From the distance, a rumbling could be heard over the sounds of the horses. As Levi barked orders to his squad, the rumbling increased in intensity, causing the ground to shake a little. The formation was passing through a somewhat flat, open plane, with several trees dotted around in random places. On the right, where the black smoke had been sighted, a small patch of shrubbery was hiding the slope of a small hill. Higher ground was the safest place to be, but the absence of vision meant that should a titan suddenly appear, there would be very little warning. 

_Tch. Dammit._ Levi couldn’t wait any longer. With one final nod to his team, he swerved his horse to the right, straight towards the smoke. It was a risky move, going off on his own, but everyone knew how capable a soldier he was, so they didn’t question it. He would have ordered his special ops squad to accompany him, but he needed them to stick together and deliver a message to Erwin. He scowled as he neared the bushes, digging his heels into his mount’s sides, urging it to run faster so he could get to whoever was in trouble before they perished. He was not fast enough. 

It was almost as if the entire universe had slowed to a crawl inside the captain’s head. The events playing out before him were entirely in slow motion, allowing him to react quickly. As his horse cleared the patch of shrubbery blocking the view of the battlefield, a horrendous sight befell him.

The entire right flank had been decimated. Bodies were strewn across the field, slimy intestines hanging out of open carcasses like twisted, gory streamers. Blood and body parts coated the various pieces of broken 3D maneuver gear littering the ground, bathing them in martian water; filthy; contaminated. The horrific scene was enough to make one’s skin crawl, insides churn. Any normal person would have fallen to their knees at the image of their fallen comrades in such a state, and vomited their entire stomach contents before passing out in a puddle… But Levi… Levi was a man of action. 

It took less than a second for him to figure out what he needed to do. His muscles were hard, but his bones were mush. There was a never a situation like this where he did not feel sorrow or fear, but crumbling under the weight of the problem would be useless, not helpful to anyone. He was the strongest soldier humanity had to offer, and he’d be damned if he was going to let anything prevent him from restoring the peace, destroying the titans and demolishing the walls. With that in mind, his skeleton reformed, structural integrity restored with promise to hold until no longer required. 

The titans gorging on the flesh and mutilated remains of the soldiers that Levi had once known were about to taste the vengeance of the most terrifying creature alive. 

Rising from his horse, the captain fired an anchor into the shoulder of the closest giant. When it connected, he launched himself towards the nape of its neck, twisting his lithe body in the air to find the right position, with order to deliver a clean slice across its vital point. The adrenaline was coursing through his veins, in the same way that the wind was blowing his hair from his face, emitting stems of scorching fury through his blood. Nothing could stand in the way of the pain he was going to inflict upon these _filthy_ things. **Nothing.**

A blur of flesh and steel hit the titan’s nape dead centre, slicing through the weak spot with ease. The steam hit Levi in the face and he winced at the heat, but that did not prevent him from using the momentum gained from the falling corpse to launch himself onto the next target. Blow after blow he landed, strike after strike cutting through limbs and dirty flesh until his swords were nothing more than stumps in his hands. There was one target left: an abnormal. He quickly dropped his dead blades onto the ground and crossed his arms over himself to attach a new set, readying himself for the battle.

The target moved with precision, giant feet thumping against the grass, legs tensing and flexing with each stride. Levi’s face was dominated by rage and intense concentration, his eyes wide and his pupils dilated. He took a deep breath to steady himself and fired his anchor, aiming for the left leg of the 15 metre class titan sprinting towards him gaily. The mechanism connected, shooting Levi forward once more, carefully controlled pressurised gas determining which direction to fly. _One more. Just one, then I can go back and check on the others. I can do this._

He was metres from the enormous limb, preparing himself to fire off another anchor at the nape and bare down with his furious spinning attack, when suddenly the titan kicked forwards, disconnecting Levi’s wire and leaving him suspended in the air for a split second, before rocketing down to the ground. The fall would surely break both his legs if he didn’t stop himself. 

“Shit! _What?!”_

Clenching his jaw, the captain utilised the slow motion vision to quickly activate his gas canister and boost himself upwards, firing his anchor when he’d reached the beast’s stomach. The wire pierced its cheek, momentarily startling it, and Levi used its confusion to kick himself off and launch himself high above its head. It tried to bat him away, but the soldier had already retracted the wire, using the gas to effectively land safely atop the creature’s hairless skull. It thrashed and shook beneath him, but Levi’s calm had returned and he maintained his balance while the titan writhed. 

“Stand still, you piece of shit. I don’t want to miss.”

His monotonous voice cut through the roars and screams, and he jumped off its head, firing a final anchor into its nape with aim to kill. Briefly the captain’s thoughts turned towards something he had been praying would not distract him at the wrong moment, but he couldn’t help but wonder how you would fair against a group of enemies like this. He was shocked when he realised he was uncomfortable with the thought of you in so much danger, even though deep down he knew you would probably have no problem. The abnormal noticed his hesitation. 

It swiftly turned its whole body around, twisting its neck, and slammed its teeth down on Levi’s forearm, earning itself a startled yelp from the distracted soldier. His face contorted in pain as he felt his flesh split and tear, fresh pools of blood spurting from the wound. The titan’s jaw clamped down harder and roughly yanked away, ripping a large, messy chunk out of the captain’s arm. 

Levi’s split second decision to refire his anchor at the creature’s neck as it busied itself with his flesh saved his life, and he rocketed up towards the nape, covering his open wound with his hand. He moved so quickly, the titan had no time to regenerate. His blade spun in a dizzying circle as he cut a fatal hole in its weak point with one hand, the other being used to prevent lethal blood loss. The bastard finally went down, and the captain steadied his quivering legs on the body, bracing himself for impact. 

As it hit the ground, the captain stumbled, clutching his arm in agony, feeling hot blood drip through his fingertips. He didn’t want to look, but he knew he’d lost too much blood already and would have to patch himself up immediately. As lightheaded as he was, he was furious with himself. How stupid did he have to be to lose focus in the middle of battle? He was damn lucky to be alive. He scowled to himself. If somebody had been there to see, they would have been extremely alarmed at the level of hatred the usually stoic captain was displaying in his gaze at that second. 

Levi shakily walked back towards his horse, boots sloshing in the puddles of blood and gore on the ground. His back was bent forwards as his energy rapidly depleted. He knew he didn’t have long before he passed out. When he’d reached the mount, he dug through his pack for bandages, ripping them with his teeth and using them to tie a tight tourniquet around his bicep. It wasn’t likely to do much, but it would at least help. He slowly lifted his fingers from the bite in his arm, wincing at the damage the abnormal had done. He’d been able to feel the missing chunk underneath his hand as he held himself in, but seeing it was another story. It made his stomach lurch slightly. He hurriedly wrapped several layers of bandage around his open wound. It was filthy, and if he didn’t get it cleaned then it would become horribly infected, but he had nothing to clean it with and he needed to stop the bleeding. 

When he had taken care of himself as best he could, he fired an emergency signal flare into the sky. He could feel himself slipping out of consciousness, and titans could show up any minute. He hoped that somebody would see the flare and come to his aid soon, otherwise he wasn’t sure if he would ever wake up again. He thought he heard the sounds of horses running and people shouting, but he wasn’t sure if that was his imagination or not. Before he passed out, his thoughts turned to the radiant smile that he had been so lucky to pull from you just last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what to do: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwxlz5gNA60
> 
> PS: might be a long shot... But if it wasn't obvious, I based Reader-chan on myself. If you wanna hear how I sound when I sing, you can check out one of my facebook vids:  
> https://www.facebook.com/padaleckispickle/videos/vb.100006752403078/1657480947820303/?type=3  
> https://www.facebook.com/padaleckispickle/videos/vb.100006752403078/1958718741029854/?type=3  
> https://www.facebook.com/padaleckispickle/videos/vb.100006752403078/1980234145544980/?type=3
> 
> Thought I'd post it here just in case XD I also have an EP available on Spotify under the name Gathered Blue... So hit that up if you wanna too. ^_^ 
> 
> Love Hen <3


	6. Head Cold (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy.

_It’s so… ugh_

_“...frozen over…”_

_What’s that… sound?_

_“...for the long haul… remind myself”_

_Shit… My head… hurts so bad… Argh_

_“...just a head cold… it’s just a head cold…”_

_Fuck… ugh… what…_

 

How long had he been unconscious for? Where was he now? What was going on? Levi was having a hard time adjusting his eyes to the darkness of the room. He was lying down on an uncomfortable bed. It was stiff and firm; like a brand new mattress with starchy sheets pulled taut against the corners. Even the blanket was unused. It took the captain a second to realise that he was in the infirmary, lying in a bed that had never been slept in. So _that’s_ why it felt like a concrete slab. His back was going to suffer for this.

…

The daylight was slowly fading, and with it came the ever-increasing anxiety pooling in your belly. The Survey Corps had been gone all day… Expeditions didn’t usually take this long. 

Your early morning training sessions with Levi were familiar and comforting, and having them suddenly wrenched away from you was surprisingly upsetting. It had been less than a month since you’d begun these private lessons, but you’d found that his company had become a delightful addition to your daily routine. You’d hoped he felt the same, but you didn’t think this could ever be possible. That was, until he’d kissed your forehead the night before the mission. 

Your skin was still aflame from his delicate touch, his soft lips on your skull. It was sweet and gentle, totally out of character for the usually reserved and harsh nature of your beloved captain. You sat cross-legged on your bed, morning freed up now in the absence of Levi, and twirled your hair around your fingers absentmindedly; so lost in thought that you hadn’t even heard the frantic knocking on your bedroom door. 

**“[F/N]!”**

The door burst open, slamming against the wall. The loud noise was enough to jolt you from your daydreams, momentary shock gracing your features before being replaced with disapproval at the intruder.

“Eren…” you sighed monotonously, “what the hell are you doing?”

The young cadet was panting, hair dishevelled from running, eyes wild like a frightened doe. The dull sensation of dread began to make its appearance known in the depths of your abdomen. _This can’t be good..._ Eren gasped his response through frenzied breaths:

“Survey Corps… Back from mission… Captain Levi, he… unconscious…”

Before he’d even had a chance to finish his statement, the wall around your heart came crumbling down. All the painful emotions you’d locked behind it hit you at once, threatening to overwhelm and destroy everything they touched. Levi was your safety blanket. He was the one person who looked at you with understanding and sympathy, even though you’d smiled at him once. _Once_. He’d heard you singing; nobody had heard that since before you’d joined the military. You were nothing but a blank page to him, but somehow he saw the writing in invisible ink, and he didn’t judge or berate you for hiding it. He didn’t even mention it. He just… accepted it. Now the comfort of your one friend was potentially going to be taken away from you, leaving you alone and emotionless again… it was too much to bear.

Eren had never in his short time as your acquaintance seen you display any feelings besides boredom or annoyance. You eyes were always half-lidded, your mouth was always a perfect, prim line. Though his stamina was depleted and he was struggling to catch his breath, he watched in fascination as your face set ablaze. Your eyes widened, your mouth opened, your look of impasse was replaced with abject horror, and if he hadn’t known better… he would have also guessed heartbreak. 

The boy had been slightly nervous to barge into your room when you hadn’t answered his knocking; you could have been changing or sleeping or doing anything, but he decided that he didn’t care. The information he needed to give you was too important. He’d been waiting for the Survey Corps to return all day, and when he’d finally heard the district gates open and the bells tolling, he’d rushed out to meet his heroes. The sight of Captain Levi covered in blood, unconscious on a stretcher with a bright red bandage wrapped tightly around his forearm was horrifying… If even the strongest soldier humanity had to offer was capable of being defeated, what hope did everyone else have? 

He knew about your morning training with the captain. He knew Levi seemed to be in a better mood after each one. There was some kind of connection between you and Levi, and Eren had noticed it immediately. You would want to know about your captain’s condition, that he was sure of. Seeing your face explode with pain at his news confirmed his suspicion.

The young cadet watched you sprint off towards the infirmary at a pace faster than he had ever thought possible. Not even your speed during 3DMG training was a match for it. He allowed himself another few minutes to douse the fire that was burning his lungs, before setting off after you, scared shitless.

By the time you’d reached the infirmary, your mask had returned. It would do no good to reveal your distress to everyone right now, not when Levi was in trouble. You didn’t need the attention, you only wanted to see if he was alright. _Calm yourself, [F/N]. No need to panic in front of anyone now. Just go in there and make sure he’s okay._

Outside the room, you took a deep breath to steady your shaky hands and pushed the door open. A tall woman with a wild look about her and an enormous, quiet looking man were inside. The woman had a nest of brown hair piled into a ponytail at the back of her head, and her large, chocolatey brown eyes were hidden behind square glasses with thick frames. 

The woman was sitting on a counter with her tightly clenched fists resting at her sides. The man standing in front of her really was gigantic. You could only see the back of his head, and from the good foot and a half difference in height between you and him, you noticed that his hair was dirty blond in colour, and styled in an undercut. They obviously hadn’t noticed you, as they continued with their conversation as if you weren’t there at all.

“...bitten off by a titan. He stopped the bleeding himself but it got infected. He’d already lost a shit tonne of blood and passed out after firing that signal flare. We were lucky to get to him in time.”

“How on earth did _Levi_ manage to get himself bitten by a…”

“Hange.”

The man turned around to face you. His nose was wrinkled in concentration, tickled by the ends of a shaggy fringe framing his masculine face. His green eyes held suspicion and apprehension at the sight of you standing in the doorway, and he breached the gap by taking a few long strides towards you, his arms folded behind his back. You crossed yours at your chest, glaring up at him as he came to a stop in front of you. He was very big and intimidating, but he would never know how alarmed you were by the sudden invasion of your personal space. Slowly, he bent down at the waist and buried his large nose into your hair, inhaling deeply. His own scent enveloped you like a warm blanket. It was just as comforting and manly as Levi’s, but it was a little more musky. You allowed yourself a cheeky sniff before the giant straightened back up to glare at you. 

The woman, who you’d assumed was named Hange, jumped off the counter and landed smoothly on her feet, bouncing towards you with a look of curiosity gracing her boyish features. 

“Hmmm? Who’s this, Mike?”

“Pretty sure it’s that cadet Levi was raving about to Erwin the other day. She sure smells tough.”

“Ooooooh!!!” 

Hange took one of your hands and held it in both of hers, bending down to your eye level. She had a terrifyingly enthusiastic grin spreading across her lips, the light reflecting off her glasses, making them look almost fogged over. You stared back at her, meeting her excited gaze with your own of slight irritation. This had been meant to intimidate her so she would back the fuck off, but it only seemed to interest her more. _Dammit._

“You’re here to see Levi, yes?” She didn’t wait for a response. “He’s through there, little bastard’s out cold though so he’s not gonna be great company. Typical shorty! He’s never great company anyway, hahahahaha!”

Her words were smooth and melodic, dancing around each octave with ease; the complete opposite of your speaking voice… But her laugh was raucous, making you wince a little at the sudden noise; the room had been quiet and calm, and it had assaulted your eardrums. Mike didn’t seem phased by it. You wondered how many times he’d heard that same laugh to be so used to such a loud, disturbing sound. You thanked her politely and yanked your hand out of her grasp, setting off down the corridor towards the hospital room. You were nervous, fearing the worst. What if Levi never woke up? What if he was too badly wounded? You didn’t think you could take that. He was literally all you had left to cling to. 

To your relief, other than Mike and Hange, there was nobody else around. You didn’t need anyone asking you questions about your relationship to the captain or anything like that. You didn’t even want to talk to anyone, just sit with him for as long as possible until he came to and ordered you to leave. If he wasn’t going to make it, you were going to spend all the time you had left with him by his side. He was worth every second.

The room at the end of the corridor was dark and still; a peaceful feeling hung in the air, soothing your aching muscles and rattling bones somewhat. The moment you saw your dear Levi in a bed at the far end of the room, it took all your concentration not to sprint towards him and grab his hand, raise it to your cheek and let it cup your face for as long as possible. The touch of his skin against yours was electric, and ever since he’d brushed his soft lips against your forehead that night, you’d longed to feel that same connection once more. Now you were worried about the very real possibility that you might never be able to again.

You took slow, tentative steps towards the comatose body of Captain Levi Ackerman. His breathing was deep and steady, raising the thin blanket draped over his abdomen with every inhale. His porcelain skin was even paler than normal, almost translucent, enough to make the blue veins running up and down the insides of his wrists and the lavender capillaries adorning his eyelids stand out against their white backdrop. His hair was greasy and unkempt, the usual tidy fringe now a mess of ebony framing his sickly face. It was clear that he had been cleaned up, but he was still somewhat dirty. It was like he’d rolled around in mess and blood and someone had sponged it off him enough to look acceptable. You supposed that was exactly what had happened.

As your eyes swept across his still form, you noticed that he was shirtless. The planes of his chest were breathtaking. It was like he had been sculpted from marble with the utmost care. If he hadn’t been breathing, you were sure he would have passed for an art piece. It was uncanny how beautiful he was, even in the rough state that he was in. His expression was comfortable; peaceful. He looked so much younger when he wasn’t wearing a scowl. Maybe that’s why he wore one so often. 

Your wandering eyes fell upon the blood soaked bandage choking his forearm, and your stomach gave a lurch. The wound wasn’t massive, but it was big enough to cause a permanent scar. You knew that the missing flesh wouldn’t grow back, and that he’d have a small dip in his arm for the rest of his life. You wondered how he would take that news. It might affect his capability on the battlefield. That would be a real tragedy. 

You felt your eyes begin to prick with tears. You didn’t cry. Ever. You hadn’t cried in years. Even before, you didn’t cry. You were a happy person then, but now you were nothing. You pulled up a chair next to his bedside and took a seat, running a hand through your sweaty hair. You released a shaky breath to steady yourself, hesitantly reaching out to touch Levi’s motionless hand laying by his side on the bed. His skin was so soft, but his hand was ice cold. The sorrow overwhelmed you and your heart sank. You knelt down to rest your head on his good arm, burying your nose in his comforting scent. You sat that way for hours, sobbing quietly, not even noticing Hange and Mike’s concerned faces in the doorway when they came to check on you, or Eren frantically calling your name (before being ushered away by the two senior officers).

…

It was dark when you woke up. _Shit. I was asleep?_ There was no indication of the time anywhere in the room, but a quick glance outside the large window confirmed that it was deep into the night. The was no sound other than the still unconscious Levi’s slow breaths, and the faint call of an owl somewhere in the distance. Your eyes took a while to adjust to the dark, but when they did, you saw that a sandwich and a glass of water had been placed on the bedside table next to you. A kind soul must have given you something to eat while you’d slept, knowing you’d be hungry when you woke up. You were touched by how considerate the action was. 

You hand was still firmly linked with Levi’s. His frozen digits had become warm and clammy in the many hours they’d spent entwined with yours, so you untangled yourself and wiped the moisture on your trousers. Your tummy gave a grumble and you realised that you’d skipped dinner last night, having not eaten anything for almost a full day. The sandwich was of the same quality and taste as they usually were, but this particular sandwich was the best you’d ever had in the world. You ate it greedily, never taking your eyes off the captain’s face in the darkness.

After you’d finished eating, you replaced your plate and returned your hand to its previous position, once again linking your fingers with Levi’s. It would be several hours before dawn, when someone would come and replace his bandages and clean him up a bit more. You were musing on having the rest of the night to kill, when a loud groan stopped you dead in your tracks. Your fingers involuntarily tightened around the captain’s hand. Another groan, then a sigh. It took a second to realise that the noise was coming from Levi himself. He must have been having an awful dream. You felt a pang in your chest at his obvious distress, and you let out the breath you hadn’t even realised you’d been holding. 

You felt so powerless. His demons were clearly tormenting him, but there was nothing you could do to rescue him from their clutches. His forehead was damp with sweat, adhering his onyx locks to his skin in a way that would be uncomfortable had he been awake to feel it. You reached up to brush the loose strands away from his face, pausing to feel his temperature, and shuddered when your fingers touched his scorching flesh. He had a very high fever. You prayed that his body would be able to fight off the infection, tucking his blanket around him more tightly when he started to shiver.

His nightmare didn’t show any sign of letting up until you’d opened your mouth and started to sing to him. It had been a reflex action, more like muscle memory than anything else. When you were younger, when your mother was sick, you would bring her a bowl of homemade stew and sing to her, stroking her head until she fell asleep. You’d always comforted your mother that way, and she did the same for you when you fell ill. There was nothing on earth that could have made you feel safer than your mother’s angel voice singing you to sleep, so you wanted to share that same comfort and safety with the person you’d cared about most deeply since the fall of Maria. You had no idea if the sound would permeate through his daze and reach him in his dreams, but you decided that you had to at least try.

 

_“Walked to the corner, stood in the cold wind and felt the time passing me by,”_

Your thumb rubbed soothing circles across the back of Levi’s hand as the words gracefully danced out of your mouth.

_“Under a cover, all frozen over and I know my knuckles are white,”_

Your hand gripped his a little tighter as your voice climbed higher in pitch.

_“I’m stuck in a hard place, out in the rat race, like everybody else,”_

You felt Levi’s fingers twitch.

_“And this one is a big wall, I’m in for the long haul, trying to remind myself… It’s just a head cold, it’s just a head cold.”_

“Mmmmmm… [F/N]?” 

Levi’s voice was hoarse and he’d groaned your name quietly, but your ears had picked up on it over your soft singing. You froze again, unsure what to do.

“S-sir?”

“Is that… Were you… Singing?”

“...no...”

Your eyes darted down to the mattress as you lied. There was no way he hadn’t seen right through you like you were made of glass. You were right. He chuckled.

“It was… nice.”

 _Nice?_ Nice is the shittiest word to describe anything... But your heart still sped up slightly in your chest at his words. You were ecstatic that he was awake.

“T-thank you, Sir. Can I… get you anything?” 

“Glass of water would be nice.”

It was only when you tried to reach for the untouched drink on the table that you realised your hands were still linked. You gasped loudly and released him from your grip, a blush spreading up your cheeks. _Thank the walls that it’s still dark._ You handed him the glass of water, and he sat up so he could drink it properly. He moaned in pain as he moved, and you could see that it took a considerable amount of effort to push against his bad arm. Another pang of concern and compassion made itself known in the depths of your chest. 

He gulped down the drink in one breath, closing his eyes in pleasure as the cool liquid soothed his raspy throat. When he’d finished, you reached into your front pocket for the handkerchief that you always kept there, handing it to him to use to wipe the liquid from his mouth and off his sweaty forehead, which he took stoically. When he’d finished, he moved to place the glass back on the table, but he failed and his eyes screwed shut in pain. You leapt up to take it from him, earning a grateful, if slightly agitated glare from the injured man. He relaxed back down into the pillows and lay still for a few moments, letting the sharp throbbing in his arm dull into an ignorable ache. He turned his head towards you in the darkness.

“Oi, brat. Would you mind lighting a candle or something? Can’t see shit.”

“Yes, sir.”

As you stood up to find a candle and matches, you heard his voice pipe up again, and the words surprised you.

“Levi.”

“...I’m sorry?”

“Call me Levi.”

“Okay, s-Levi.”

 _Levi._ You loved the way it sounded rolling off your tongue. It was a wonderful word. _L e v i._

The captain closed his eyes and gave a hum of satisfaction when he heard you speak his name. Your voice was lacking in tonal range, but it was soft and gentle, and he felt it bristling with emotion. Exactly which emotion, he couldn’t place.

When the candle had been lit and placed on the bedside table next to the empty crockery, you returned to your chair and folded your hands in your lap. The soft candlelight flickered shadows across Levi’s perfect face, illuminating the crevices and dancing mischievously in his molten steels. His hair was disheveled from having fingers run through it several moments prior, but there was something about his lack of order and cleanliness that was painfully sexy to you. 

“[F/N].”

His voice startled you. You realised you’d been staring at him.

“Yes, Levi?”

He moved himself across the bed gingerly, avoiding putting weight on his bad arm. He patted the side of the bed and looked at you with an unreadable expression.

“Come and sit here.”

Your eyes widened ever so slightly at his request. You supposed the formalities had gone out the window the second he’d kissed you, but you weren’t expecting any sort of follow up. The blush was back, threatening to burn up your neck and stain your cheeks again. How troublesome. You stood up and situated yourself on the bed, feeling the tension rise with every millimetre of distance closed between you and your captain. He propped himself up again so that he was also sitting, facing you.

“So. [F/N].”

You didn’t speak a response, but you moved your eyes up to meet his gaze, raising your eyebrow in question. He took this as intended: his cue to continue.

“Why were you holding my hand?”

Your mouth opened and shut several times; you looked like a fish out of water. You couldn’t think of a response that wasn’t weird or would make him uncomfortable. It was true, you’d realised over the past several hours that you felt something more for him than you’d initially planned, but there was no reason for him to know that yet. He clearly felt something for you too or he wouldn’t have kissed you, but the outcast you had made yourself was finding it difficult to break the habit of pushing people away. You struggled with your response.

“I, um, I was… I was just, um…”

“Don’t hurt yourself, [F/N]. It’s fine.”

You were thankful for his interruption, and you really were about to explain yourself, but his fingers brushed against your own before he wrapped them around your hand, and it made your heart stop. _What…_ He inched himself a little closer to you, looking directly into your eyes with burning intensity. When he spoke again, he was quieter to accommodate the smaller distance to your ears, but his voice had dropped at least an octave. The husky sound made the breath catch in your throat and the beginnings of heat stir in your lower regions. This was new…

“I don’t think I’d rather have anyone else by my side to wake up to.”

“I-”

“Shh.”

He’d placed a finger against your lips to stop them from forming the words you were about to speak. Mirroring his actions that night in the trees, and not breaking the eye contact, he slowly moved his hand upwards, cupping your face. His body was slightly higher than your own, and he angled his hand down towards your neck, so that his palm was resting on your cheek and his fingertips brushed against your earlobe. 

By now, you were sure that your heart was going to beat right out of your chest. His face was so close, just a little more and his lips would connect with your own… It seemed he’d had the same thought, because his eyes _finally_ broke their contact with yours and travelled down your face, darkening with lust when he saw you drag your lower lip through your teeth a little. You almost couldn’t believe this was happening.

You watched him _v e r y_ gently and painfully slowly pull your face towards his, and when your noses brushed against each other and you could feel his hot breath tickle your skin, he spoke up again, making you melt with the words he spoke:

“By the way… Your voice is _so fucking beautiful_.”

He finally breached the gap completely, pressing his trembling lips against yours, delighted to taste you at last. Your eyelids fluttered shut as you kissed him back, mouths warm and soft against each other as the passion and intensity grew with each passing second. Levi shifted slightly above you and brought out his wounded arm, cupping the other side of your face and cradling you like you were made of the most precious material in the world. You were as delicate as a flower petal to him, and he was a fierce gale, destroying everything in his path. He didn’t want to break you.

The feelings he was arousing from you were exquisite. Your body had never felt so hot or sensitive, and your heart had never beat so fast. His lips were warm, yes, but they had a cooling effect on the raging fire burning its way underneath your skin. Every tiny movement of his mouth and his fingers against you had you craving more and more. The quietest moan made its way up your throat and into the heated air, the sound making Levi’s dick twitch in his trousers. He slid his hand down your face and your neck, down your arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. He found your hand resting on your lap, and with his lips still sliding against your own, he brought it up to his chest and placed it over his heart. 

You could feel the rapid beating of the muscle in his chest, and realising that what he felt was akin to you, you deepened the kiss slightly by pressing your body closer to his. Your hand trailed up his bare bicep, feeling the muscles tense under your delicate fingertips. You had to allow yourself a little squeeze while you were there. He smirked into your mouth at your shameless groping. Your hand continued on its journey upwards, feeling every inch of exposed skin in its path, until finally settling on the back of the captain’s head. You buried your fingers in the fuzz of his undercut, feeling the hand that wasn’t still cupping your cheek rest on your waist, squeezing lightly when he felt you slide your opposite palm up his other arm to mirror your previous endeavour.

Once both of your hands were tangled in his hair, Levi’s usually unrelenting patience had faltered. Between the feel of your soft skin beneath his own, your hot mouth joined with his and your intoxicating citrusy scent, he’d been driven almost into a frenzy… And as we all know, Levi Ackerman is a man of action.

His sudden manoeuvre caught you off guard. The hand that was once at your cheek, cradling you gently and rubbing small circles into your skin as you kissed had now joined the other at your waist, squeezing tightly as the captain lifted you from your place on the edge of the bed. You had just a second to realise what he was doing and you folded your legs out of the way as he placed you on his lap, straddling him, never breaking the feverish kiss. Once you were in position, he wrapped his arms around your waist and tugged you towards him, biting your lip as your sensitive core rubbed against the heavy bulge in his pants. The movements caused you to open your mouth and moan a little too loudly at the feeling, giving Levi an entrance for his tongue to probe.

His chest was flush with yours and his hands were exploring the curves of your back, but your attention was mostly on the wet muscle that tangled itself with yours inside your mouth. Your fingers gripped tighter into his hair, the sensations shooting bolts of pleasure to every part of your body. His wandering hands settled again at your waist, and he couldn’t stop himself from grinding your clothed sex against his hardness. It relieved the pressure somewhat, but with every little moan and tug of his hair, it felt more tortuous than anything else. He wanted, no, he _needed_ more, and going by your impatient moans and frantic pants, Levi would have guessed that the feeling was entirely mutual. 

The captain was feeling daring. His hand slowly moved from its place at your waist as your tongues danced with each other, sliding upwards until he’d reached the soft mounds of your breast. He was absolutely terrified; he’d never even kissed a woman before, but somehow everything with you felt as natural as breathing. His fingers probed and squeezed at your bust until you broke the kiss to speak, panting the words out.

“Levi, please…”

Levi couldn’t deny that he was disappointed. He dropped his hand immediately, trying to swallow the lust that had built up over the duration of your making out.

“You… You want me to stop?”

Your heart gave a lurch. _Hell fucking no_. You grabbed his hand and placed it underneath your shirt, surprising both him and yourself at your boldness.

“Please, don’t stop.”

He flashed you a smirk that was absolutely filthy, making your legs tremble at how _absurdly_ handsome he was when he looked like that. You bent down to kiss him again, quickly returning to the level of intensity that you’d been at before you broke off the kiss. 

Only this time, his hand was exploring underneath your clothes, brushing lightly against your bare skin. His fingertips left trails of goosebumps on your stomach, tingling sensation following wherever he touched. He moved upwards, relishing in how smooth your skin was, until he reached the modesty wrap around your chest. It wasn’t very tight, and it was easily undone. Levi moved his hand around to your back, tugging gently at the bandage until it came away, leaving your breasts exposed had it not been for your shirt.

You were just as nervous as your captain. It was true that you’d kissed your former lover a couple of times, but it never felt anything like this. In fact, it never really felt like anything at all. Levi might have been as inexperienced as you, but he seemed to know what felt right and he did it without hesitation. What really warmed your heart was how he was willing to stop when he thought you were uncomfortable. 

With a slightly shaking hand, Levi returned to your front, skimming his palms along the edges of your breasts. You arched your back into him, pushing your bosom further into his hands, shamelessly moaning when you felt his fingers brush against your pointed nipples. 

“Shit.”

Levi broke the kiss and muttered the profanity under his breath. He’d never been so turned on in his entire life. He looked down at your panting chest, seeing the shape of his hands underneath your shirt and closed his eyes, willing himself to stop before he went too far with you. You were precious and beautiful and perfect and he wanted to treat you right… But that was just the problem. You were _too_ beautiful, _too_ perfect. He bit his lip, hard, begging the pain to take him out of the moment, but before he had the chance, he felt your fingers on his chin, lifting his face upwards to hold your gaze. Once you’d met his eye, you sat back on your calves and started unbuttoning your shirt, letting Levi watch with lust-filled eyes. He couldn’t help himself. He moved his hands to either side of your rib cage and rubbed his thumbs over your nipples as you undressed yourself with trembling fingers for him, closing your eyes and biting your abused bottom lip. Once you’d reached the last button, your shirt slipped from your shoulders, revealing your perfect breasts. Levi couldn’t take his eyes off you.

“Fuck. You’re so beautiful.”

His compliment earned him one of your heavenly smiles, and Levi could almost hear his cock begging him to take you right there and then, to ram himself into you with a pace set to bruise. He swallowed a moan and forced himself to hold on. He wanted to take his time, to savour you. He’d waited for so long to touch you and you were finally here, sitting on his lap, exposed just for him. Not to mention, he was injured. He had no choice but to go slow. 

You were fucking terrified until your captain had called you beautiful. You couldn’t stop yourself from grinning like a dork at him, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, the smile seemed to have the opposite effect. You watched in wonder as his hands shifted to grab your ass and his head dipped into the crook of your neck, kissing and licking and nipping at the smooth skin, moving gradually downwards until he’d reached your breast. 

He gave the skin around your breast a little lick and a kiss, gauging your reaction before moving on. He wanted to check you were okay first. When you’d hummed in satisfaction at his ministrations, he placed his hot mouth over your sensitive bud, pulling it between his teeth and sucking a little, swirling it around his mouth with his tongue. Your back arched even more and your hums became moans of increasing volume, bordering on screams when he gently nibbled on your stiff peak. He pulled away with a groan.

“Fuck, baby, the noises you’re making are _so good_ but _please_ try and be quieter. Someone’s gonna hear if you keep this up.”

You clamped your lips together in response, a feeble moan of agreement escaping you as your eyes squeezed shut in concentration. Levi continued to taste your skin once he was satisfied with your silence. You were even more sexy to him when you were so desperately trying to be quiet like he’d told you. He realised with a small twitch of his lower regions that he _fucking loved_ when you were submissive like that. He’d have to remember that. For now, he wanted to focus on pleasuring you, making you feel amazing. He had no idea how, but he was certain he could figure it out. He’d just begun to make the transition to your other breast, when a familiar, grating voice rang in his ears.

“Whoa, Shorty, didn’t realise you were awake... Looks like you’re feeling better, huh?!”

For fuck’s sake, Hange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR THE CLIFFHANGER
> 
> I had so much fun writing this. This is almost 6000 words of fluff and smut. Hope you enjoyed and you don't hate me TOO much for leaving it that way hahahahaha
> 
> Head Cold is the first of the two songs that are exclusive to the Midnight Machines album. The other 6 are included on Little Machines, which was released first. Both albums are amazing!! My personal favourite song from Little Machines is on the deluxe edition and it's called Lucky Ones. So gooooood :D
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHp7RDrmozQ <<<<< Head Cold :)


	7. Follow You Down (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hange's gone, she's left you alone. Who _wouldn't_ fuck in this situation? Not you and Levi, that's for damn sure.
> 
> Slight warning for a little graphic description of Levi's ouchie, and obviously smut too. ;D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't really think Levi would wanna take you to pound town without a wash first did you? Well good news, Hange graciously left you a gift... Alone time. She even locked the door behind her so nobody could disturb you, what a babe. I like to imagine that she's outside listening to all the screams and moans and giggling to herself, shouting at anyone who tries to go in there. That's a very Hange thing to do, I think. ;)
> 
> I had to research disgusting wounds to make the description of Levi's bite more believable, and in doing so I think I scarred myself. YOU'RE WELCOME. THE THINGS I DO FOR A GOOD STORY.
> 
> Sorry this took so long to write. I really don't have an excuse, other than that I haven't felt like writing much lately. Breakups are... Difficult. Writing is my vice, but even that doesn't help sometimes. I hope you'll forgive me and enjoy my gift... A super smutty chapter ;)
> 
> It's not my favourite chapter to be honest. I love writing smut, but I feel like I can and will do better. Gonna have to ask you to bear with me again. 
> 
> Again, sorry for the delay. Please enjoy, and as always, thank you SO much for your lovely and supportive comments. I would absolutely have given up on this if it weren't for you guys. I love you so much I'm crying okay damn fuck keep it together Hen
> 
> (Ps I haven't edited this yet cause I just wanna get it out so I will go back and correct any mistakes a little bit later, feel free to point them out to me because sometimes your eyes miss them if you read the same thing too much hahaha)
> 
> I love you  
> I know this seems like the end but it is not, there are more chapters coming for sure <3

Your whole body was completely frozen. You were facing away from the doorway where Hange had walked in, so all she could see were Levi’s arms snaking around your disrobed back… but this was the _last_ thing you’d ever expected to happen, and you were completely unprepared. You cursed yourself for your lack of forethought, willing yourself to repair the mask that had gleefully crumbled away. You hadn’t meant to let yourself get so carried away with Levi… You didn’t think he would even wake up tonight, let alone kiss you… _like that._

There was nothing you could do other than sit there on your captain’s lap with your arms wrapped around his neck and your fingers buried in the fuzz of his undercut, feeling his palms skim your sides as he bent himself at the waist towards the intrusion. 

“Shitty-Glasses. Can’t you see I’m fucking busy?”

He spat the words at her with an absolutely venomous growl, causing a blush to form on your cheeks at the stark display of dominance… But Hange only laughed at that.

“Hahahahaha! Oh, Levi, I can see that, sure! I came in to change your bandage. I didn’t think you’d even be awake!”

“Tch. Try knocking next time.”

“Sure thing, Shorty.” She winked. “Now, [F/N], I’m gonna come over and clean this little bastard up, then I’ll be outta your hair. You don’t have to move if you’re... comfortable.”

The double meaning behind her words was evident to everyone in the room. Your face felt hot. Levi rolled his eyes at her comment and the sly smirk that followed, but he pulled you closer towards his chest to smush your boobs into him and offer you some modesty, leaving the hand that was attached to his good arm to continue stroking absentmindedly across your bare skin. Your own hands fell from their place in his hair, travelling down to lay upon his chiseled chest, your fingertips curling into him. As Hange walked over, the captain stuck his injured arm out for her to check, using his biceps to cover the exposed sides of your breasts. How considerate. The simple, thoughtful act made you want him to fuck you until your toes curled.

It didn’t take the scientist long to unwrap Levi’s bandage. The soiled material fell away from his damaged extremity almost immediately, revealing a very nasty, very gruesome wound, and the pungent, rusty scent of blood and diseased flesh began to assault your nostrils. The area surrounding it was bright red and swollen with infection, and the bite itself was very raw and very bloody. Through the tear in the skin, you could make out the tiny yellow fat globules that adorned the muscles around the wound. That kind of shit is _not_ supposed to be on show, it needs to stay hidden safely beneath the skin. You could even see the individual teeth marks. _Poor Levi…_

You couldn’t watch anymore. Your stomach had started to turn over when the gash was revealed, and you’d really tried to bottle it and be strong but it had become increasingly difficult with each passing second. This wasn’t the first time you’d ever seen a graphic injury, and you knew it wouldn’t be the last, but it would take some getting used to, that was for sure. The fact that the injured person was the one man you actually cared about did not make the sight of his mutilated flesh any easier to stomach. Levi felt you turn your head away and bury it into his shoulder, and he moved his free hand upwards to gently stroke the back of your scalp, running his fingers through your silky hair. It was so soothing and sweet that you almost couldn’t believe something so nasty was a mere few inches from you. The captain had a tender side, it seemed.

In any normal circumstance, despite how queasy the wound made you feel, it would not have been difficult to appear completely unphased, so eerily so that describing you as cold and unsympathetic would be verging on the more accurate side of things. Such was the nature of your mask; but Levi had been a bright and shining beacon of hope in your otherwise dreary existence, wise cracks and crude humour aside. He was not a child or a young adult, he was a fully grown man, and that much was obvious from a mile away, by the very way that he breathed in the air, despite his short stature. The thought of someone who was so dominant and powerful without even trying was so ridiculously sexy to you.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard the captain hiss at the sting of the antiseptic that was being applied to his arm, feeling him grip your hair a little too tightly in response. It had been a completely involuntary reflex on his part, but it caused you to release the quietest moan of pleasure into his naked shoulder. Levi’s eyes widened ever so slightly at the sound that had not been loud enough for Hange to hear… So you liked your hair being pulled. Another thing to remember.

The eccentric scientist was blathering away as she was working on cleaning Levi up, but neither you nor him were paying any attention to what she was saying… Until she’d finished applying a new bandage, and said the words which made your heart stutter:

“Okay, Shorty, you’re all set! You can’t get that dressing wet, but you need to keep yourself clean to reduce the risk of another infection.” She set a little bottle of pills on the side. “You also need to take two of these, twice a day for a week. They’ll kill the infection you’ve already got. Now I could sponge you again, but you’re awake this time so it would be a little weird. [F/N] will have to do it.”

“Wait, wha-”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Shitty-Glasses? You want [F/N] to give me a damn sponge bath?”

“Well, why not?! You need a wash, my friend, and I’m not doing it again. See ya!”

Hange spun around and ran out of the room, laughing maniacally when Levi yelled her name after her in annoyance. _They have such an odd relationship._ She slammed the door behind her, leaving the two of you alone once again. You didn’t want to move from your place in the crook of Levi’s shoulder. He was so warm, and his skin was so soft… Even though he was dirty, he still smelled heavenly. You couldn’t help yourself.

You pressed your lips to his neck once, twice, three times, tasting salty sweat on his skin, and he hummed in quiet contentment. His hands slid down your back again now that both of his arms were free to move where they liked, and you felt his cheek find a place to rest on the top of your head. You sat like that for a while, savouring the feel and the smell of each other, until the lack of attention to his crotch made Levi grow frustrated. 

“So. About that sponge bath,” he muttered into your hair.

You looked up at him in awe. His face was as blank and unreadable as ever.

“You… You really want me to give you one?”

“Tch. I’m filthy, what do you think? Can’t exactly do it myself.”

You chuckled quietly at his sarcasm and his clear distaste for uncleanliness. It was a light, airy sound which shone beams of warmth into the depths of Levi’s bordered heart. He was falling for you, he knew it… But he couldn’t stop himself, and somehow he knew that he didn’t want to, even if he could.

You moved to put your shirt back on over your chilled shoulders, alerted to Levi’s calloused palms settling at your waist, fingering the curve of your hips. He looked disappointed to see your beauty no longer exposed to him, but he knew that he would get to see it again sooner or later; he’d heard Hange lock the door behind her as she left, meaning there would be no more tiresome interruptions. Levi smiled wickedly at the thought. You were too preoccupied with your clothes to notice.

When you’d finished buttoning your top, he carefully lifted you up and placed you on the floor, wincing a little when he felt his muscle tighten at his forearm. You shot him a sympathetic glance, bending down to kiss his cheek before wandering off in search of a bucket and a sponge. Levi lay back on his pillows with a sigh, folding his arms behind his head. He suddenly felt very weary, as he always did when Hange had been around. Maybe he’d just close his eyes for a second or two...

The captain hadn’t even realised that he’d dozed off until he felt the blanket covering his body being removed, and a steady hand gently brushing his fringe away from his sweaty forehead. He opened his eyes to the most beautiful sight. You’d pulled your hair up into a quick and messy ponytail, letting the loose strands of your own fringe frame your face in the most adorable way; you looked like a little mouse. You’d also removed your jacket and rolled up the sleeves of your shirt, revealing the freckled skin of your forearms and the firm muscle underneath. Those arms held so much power. You were so small, it was easy to forget how strong you were.

He admired the way your figure looked underneath your tight white trousers and your baggy shirt. Your hips were beautifully curved, accentuating your waist for that perfect hourglass shape. You were an angel… a goddess, you must be. No human being could be so magnificent, so stunning, so radiant. Levi was nervous. Next to you, he felt like a creature from the swamp. 

He was pulled from his trance by the tickle of water droplets on the heated skin of his chest. You’d pulled the sponge out of the bucket filled with warm, soapy water and begun to rub him gently with one hand, the other massaging the soap into his taut flesh. He appreciated your attention to detail; he was sure Hange had only rinsed him off, meaning the filth of the battle was still there, clogging his pores, poisoning him with its toxicity. He needed the stench to be gone. He didn’t feel sane like this. 

Every delicate brush of your fingers over his chest left trails of warmth and comfort where you’d touched him. He could literally feel the grime and anxiety being stripped from his body, leaving his skin soft and clean, exposed to the intimacy of the moment. You weren’t looking at his face while you were working, wanting to concentrate, to take as much time and care as you could to ensure that he was as clean as he’d need to be. You knew how it felt to be unrelentingly dirty. 

There was also a part of you, albeit small, that enjoyed the reaction you were pulling from the man beneath you who was usually so stern and reticent. Although you hadn’t given him the satisfaction of being able to look you in the eye as you washed him, you could see that he was clearly enjoying the attention you were lavishing upon him from your peripheral vision. His muscles were tense when you had begun, but with every passing second, he became more and more relaxed, and his breathing faltered a little when you had run your soapy fingers over his rigid nipple. You used your fingernails to scrub him thoroughly, rising off the excess bubbles with the wet sponge, and the action caused goosebumps to prickle upon his ivory skin. 

The further down you travelled, the more Levi’s breathing began to falter. He had initially been calm and collected, trusting you to do a better job of washing him than Hange had done… but the delicious, tingly feeling of the dirt being removed had been replaced by a more heated, impatient longing for something more stimulating. He watched you with such focus, intense grey irises almost completely blacked out by dilated, lust-filled pupils. 

By the time you’d reached the bottom of his firmly toned stomach, Levi’s pants were straining uncomfortably against his erection. He couldn’t help himself; you were so beautiful and so considerate in how you bathed him. You’d really taken your time, being very thorough in removing every single speck of dirt from his pale flesh... That alone had made his hair stand on end and his blood pool in his groin. He didn’t know if you’d noticed (it would have been pretty damn hard not to), but you hadn’t mentioned it. 

You’d noticed.

You stood up from where you were kneeling on the floor without a word, carrying the bucket and sponge to the sink to refill. This gave Levi a little time to get himself in order. He couldn’t risk touching himself to relieve some of the pressure because he knew that doing so would only make it worse when you returned, looking as breathtaking as a newborn star. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, biting the insides of his cheeks in an effort to slow the heart that was beating at a million miles an hour in his chest. _Down, boy…_

When you’d returned with fresh water, you began to work on his shoulders and arms. They were lightly splattered with blood that had crusted over, which you hadn’t noticed until you’d gotten up close, and running along the length of his left bicep was a thin, raised scar in the shape of a V. Levi watched you incredulously as you bent down and placed a gentle kiss upon his imperfection, before working the soap into his tense muscles. The sponge bath had turned into more of a massage kind of deal, but the captain didn’t mind one bit; your touch was nothing short of electric. 

All too soon, the most difficult part of the job had arrived: you’d reached his wound. The clean bandage was wrapped tight around his skin, but the uncovered parts were swollen and hot. Given the slight jolt of pain that registered on Levi’s face as you carefully cleaned around the area, it was also very uncomfortable. He tensed his muscles beneath your fingertips and you looked up at him for the first time since beginning, apology written all over your face. Seeing your eyes brimming with a rare display of emotion seemed to be a comfort for your dear captain, as he visibly relaxed into your touch again when you’d made eye contact. You gave him a small, encouraging smile; a wordless request to continue, and he nodded at you, lamenting the fact that he could no longer see your face properly when you looked away again.

It hadn’t taken you long to finish the task, and you were relieved when you were able to move on to his wrists. You took ahold of his hand and entwined your fingers with his own, dragging the soapy sponge over your joined digits, before unlinking yourself and kneading the bubbles in. Levi was loving the sensation of being fussed so much. It had been so long since he’d received any amount of affection, so the aura of calm and fondness that you were trying so hard not to project was resonating somewhere deep within him. He felt so relaxed and content that he wanted to just savour the feeling, so he leant back on the pillows a little more and closed his eyes, allowing his skin to become more sensitive to your gentle caress. 

“Levi?”

Your voice would have startled him, had it been anything other than soft and sweet. He kept his eyes shut.

“Mmmm?”

“I, uh, I need to do your… Uh…”

Levi smirked at your hesitance; that was, until he opened his eyes to look at you. The confidence in his gaze disappeared almost instantly when he saw how fiercely the blush had spread across your cheeks, how blown your pupils were with lust, how your teeth were dragging your perfect bottom lip through them repeatedly. For the second time since you’d started cleaning him, he felt his dick swell with desire at how absolutely stunning and impossibly sexy you were. He had to remain cool, had to keep the upper hand. He forced his nervousness to piss off, swallowing thickly, meeting your eye with a cocky, upturned grin. The cockiness was all a front, of course, but you didn’t need to know that. 

“Go ahead.”

You grinned wickedly, sharing a gaze for a moment or two before biting your lip and winking at him. He felt like he was going to implode right that second. _Fuck…_

Your heart was pounding at your ribs, pumping adrenaline through your bloodstream at the brand new, unfamiliar situation you’d found yourself in. It seemed like so much longer, but it was only 8 or so hours since you’d rushed to the infirmary to check on Levi’s wellbeing. You’d been surprised at how utterly afraid you were at the news of his injury. You were angry at how he’d somehow managed to slip through the cracks in your barrier. Others had tried, none had succeeded… Perhaps you’d grown lazy and unaware. You didn’t know how he’d gotten inside, but a small part of you was glad for the company. You felt less lonely and frightened; it was nice to finally have someone who saw eye-to-eye with you, no words needed for a deep level of understanding. It was like he was made to be the perfect companion for you, and the look you saw reflected in his own eyes during those rare moments of vulnerability confirmed that it was not one-sided. Your heart jumped for joy, but your head told it to sit back down. You were so conflicted. 

It felt like you were running on a hamster wheel, round and round and round, never able to get off. It was exhausting. You just wanted to stop the ride for a bit, to lose yourself and relax like you used to be able to. Truth be told, if there was anyone who was capable of making you feel like that then it was the captain. He had a unique and powerful aura. Even though the anxiety forming at the thought of how wild and unhinged things were potentially about to get was making you feel a little more reserved than you’d like, it was easy to shove to one side with just one look into his self-assured expression. He was nothing short of magnificent. Nothing could make you want him less now. 

You took a deep breath to steady yourself and placed your palms on his toned thighs, splaying your fingers out and squeezing the firm muscle beneath the dirty trousers he was wearing. You could feel his body heat, still slightly high from the fever, radiating through the cloth. He was watching you intensely, tense and stiff beneath your gentle caress. You slowly dragged your hands up towards his crotch, savouring the feel of his masculine form, until you’d reached the crease where his legs began, hearing his breath hitch in his throat when you moved your fingers up to undo the fastener on his pants and brushing very lightly against his erection as you did so. The teasing was almost too much for the increasingly frustrated man.

Without breaking eye contact or your attempt at a sultry expression, you began to pull his trousers down his hips, which earned you a relieved, _very_ quiet, almost inaudible sigh from Levi as the pressure was reduced somewhat in the groin area. He was now completely naked beneath you, every inch of pale flesh on display. The captain was feeling very nervous, which he scolded himself for. You were a damn cadet. He’d also seen you naked… But he couldn’t shake how unattractive he felt compared to you, especially as he was now watching you slowly remove your own clothes. _Wait, what? Oh shit._

You were heavenly. Your skin was glowing, stretching over toned muscles from the extensive use of the 3DM gear. Your hair had been freed from its ponytail, which, while it was a good look, the sight of your soft locks cascading freely down your shoulders was a whole new kind of experience. Your breasts were once again exposed to the cool, early morning air, their natural curves resting perfectly on your flawless chest. You had the most beautiful figure, with wide hips and a slim waist, supported by your powerful legs. Levi’s eyes were wide. He gulped loudly. You smirked.

You had never been so terrified and so aroused in your entire life. Truthfully, you had absolutely no idea where to go from here. It was instinct and desire that you were following, not any sort of prior knowledge or instruction. Levi was no help either, lying there on the bed just watching you with a confident glint in his eye. It was true, you were completely comfortable with nudity, but this felt like a completely different level of nakedness. Levi was… impossibly attractive. He had firm abs that you just wanted to lick, his obsidian hair was mussed from your ministrations earlier, his biceps… Oh man. Not to mention his positively massive manhood resting fully erect against his stomach. How was it even going to fit? You were so tiny… You were struggling to breathe. He was still injured, so you had to take the lead, and you were shitting yourself. _We can do this. Fucking look at him. He looks like an actual god. Wait, is he God?? It wouldn’t fucking surprise me._ It was now or never. Fuck the nerves, this is happening.

You all but jumped up onto the bed to straddle him. He huffed the air out of his lungs with an oof as your dripping core came into contact with his painfully hard cock, eyes widening, hands automatically meeting your waist and digging into your sensitive skin. His nails scraping at your flesh was unexpected, and the sensation combined with how warm and hard he felt against your most personal area was enough to make you close your eyes and moan a little, grinding down against his cock on a reflex. It was a delicious feeling, but it wasn’t enough pressure for either of you, so all it really did was frustrate you more. 

You opened your heavy lids to find Levi watching you curiously, and you decided to play with him a little. He was slotted between your soaked folds, his hardness pressed right against your sensitive clit. You gave an experimental roll of your hips, sliding his length up and down your centre. He tensed his jaw, and his gaze darkened.

“[F/N].” He warned. He was close to busting already. How was he going to hold out long enough to pleasure you? The thought was genuinely concerning to him, but your cheeky wink and sly grin set his mind a blank. He was completely immobile with the wet heat of your core grinding on his erection. You grabbed his hands at your waist as you moved, placing them over your breasts. He moved his fingers to tweak your nipples, almost instantly regretting it as you whimpered in the most submissive way. You were sitting on him this time, but next time he was going to make sure you knew who was in control. 

Your plans to tease your captain had been thrown out of the window as soon as you’d made him touch your breasts. You needed to feel him inside you, even though you had no idea what that would feel like. Your wetness was coating his cock in a way that was extremely pleasant to rub yourself against, and you didn’t really want to lose that feeling… But the allure of him actually stroking you on the inside was too strong. You brought your hands down from where they were resting on top of Levi’s to his stomach, feeling your way down to the place that connected him to you. You bit your lip and reached for his cock, but you felt him grab your hand away before you could get there. You looked up at him in confusion. 

He was staring at you, arousal and anxiety evident behind his cocky facade. You were about to open your mouth to ask if everything was okay, but you were interrupted by Levi taking your other hand and holding them both together at the wrists with just one of his own hands. His next move was to reach down and grasp his cock firmly where it was trapped between you, and push you back slightly roughly in order to angle himself against your slit. The contact of his sensitive head against you was something else. You were so warm and so wet. He could get lost in this feeling forever. He had been stroking himself against your opening, watching you grow more frustrated and needy by the second, a look which he fucking loved to see on you, but you had had enough of being teased.

“Levi… Please…” You moaned loudly, shamelessly, as his cock caught on your clit, shooting a bolt of pleasure through your entire body… But it was still not enough!

“What? What do you want?” Levi was panting a little, but he was trying really hard to stay cool and not lose himself already, as close as he was to doing so.

“I… I’ve never done this before, but you need to… Ah, you need to give me more than this, please…”

So he was your first. Honestly, Levi was overjoyed to hear you admit that. He knew you were very antisocial like him, but even he’d heard the bragging from one of the brats. He’d been very loud and it was difficult to work with such irritating noise in the background. At the time, he couldn’t care less, but now… Now he was delighted. He was going to _break_ you. 

Levi took one last look at the expression of exasperation on your face before slowly inserting himself into your wet heat. Immediately, an intense feeling of pleasure and relief rippled through your body, mitigating the slight burn and stretch of the enormous object now penetrating you. Moans and gasps filled the air. His hands were settled on your hips, squeezing tightly with the effort of containing himself, but if he’d had trouble before, now he was seriously fucked - literally. You were so tight, strangling his cock with your silky warmth. He almost blew his load right there when he felt you clench your inner muscles around him. 

“Fuuuuuuck, baby. You feel so fucking good, shit.” 

You were too lost to care what he said, despite how arousing those words were to you, simply whining a little in response. After a minute or so of adjusting to his size, which he graciously allowed you, the impulse to move was pulling at a part of you that you had never seen before. You rolled your hips upwards slowly, letting his cock move out of you as far as it could go without actually falling out, before lowering yourself upon him again. The lowering was the best part, it felt like the stars were aligning. Levi felt the same. You did it again, and again, slowly and tortuously, until Levi had had enough. You were the best thing he’d ever felt, and he wanted to prolong it for as long as possible, but he was getting increasingly close to losing control over himself. He needed it to be faster, harder… He needed…

He gripped you tight at the hip, lifting you and lowering you with more speed and force than your teasing strokes had been. The increase in tempo had been an extremely pleasant addition, and every time you were pulled back down to meet him, your moans became increasingly loud. You couldn’t help making so much noise. You’d never made so much noise in your whole life, but you’d never felt anything so incredible in your whole life either. His body slotted perfectly with your own, like a puzzle piece. The veins and curves of his cock brushed against the most sensitive parts of your walls, stroking you in places that you didn’t even realise were erogenous. 

“Ahhh… Fuck. I’m so close, baby. Please tell me where… Where to touch you… Ugh, shit. Where should I.. Fuck!”

Levi couldn’t even finish his sentence, but you’d heard him loud and clear. You took ahold of his hands and continued the pace he’d set by yourself, letting his arms have a little rest. You entwined your fingers with the fingers on one of his hands and moved the other up to your lips to suck on a digit. The act was so sexy, so beautiful, that Levi had to clench his jaw and bite the inside of his cheeks hard to stop himself from cumming right there. It was almost too much. When you’d gotten his fingers nice and wet with your saliva, you brought his hand down to your clit, using him to massage yourself in a way that send sparks up your spine. You’d touched yourself a few times in the past so you knew what felt good to you, but you weren’t exactly skilled. You just knew that as incredible as his cock felt plunging so deep inside you, it wasn’t enough to bring you to the edge. It felt _so_ different to have someone else touching you instead of yourself, kind of like how you can't tickle yourself. Levi's touch was utterly magical.

You could no longer keep your eyes open or your body upright properly. You leant back on your hands, letting Levi stroke your clit with his moistened fingers, before switching to his thumb for a better angle. He was timing his rubs with each insertion of his cock, since you seemed to like when he was pushing himself in rather than out, and his logical consideration was not lost on you. Before long, the build up of pleasure in your belly was tightening, threatening to release and spill out, overwhelming you with satisfaction, which you were more than grateful for. All the teasing from the kissing earlier before Hange’s interruption and the sponge bath had wound you up too much, and Levi’s movements were so good, so fucking good…

“Mmm, mmm, Levi, I, mmmmmm!” 

You were getting closer and closer with every second. Your eyes were squeezed shut, your muscles were so tense. It was like everything was coming into focus, but at the same time, everything was so far from focus that you were completely blind. Your core was dripping juices all over Levi’s pulsating cock, but it wasn’t until he mindlessly switched the hand that was lavishing attention on your clit that his hips shifted slightly, meaning the angle of his length was now hitting that one perfect spot inside you that sent you tumbling over the precipice. You screamed his name in abject satisfaction, clenching hard around him, seeing white spots in your vision as your eyes rolled back into your skull. The sensation of your core clamping around Levi in a vice grip was too much for him, and now that he could see your utter pleasure, he allowed himself to follow you down, moaning your name in his beautifully deep, masculine voice, dragging his nails across the flesh of your thigh. He spilled his seed inside you, and you felt every twitch of his cock against your sensitive walls as you came down from your high. You’d never felt a more incredible feeling. 

You were panting with exertion, arms and legs aching from overuse. You were sweaty and hot, but you had no energy left over to do anything but collapse, falling forwards and landing on top of your captain’s chest. He instinctively wrapped a protective arm around your back, and while he was utterly disgusted by the mess that he’d made, he wouldn’t move for anything right now. This, right here, right now, was perfect. He kissed the top of your skull, feeling warmth spread through his entire body as you seemed to melt into his touch. How was it possible that you could do this to him? How could he lose himself so much around you? More to the point, why didn’t you think he was pathetic for doing so? Every time he’d let himself go in front of you, it only seemed to make you like him more. He’d never known anyone who respected weakness like that.

After a little while, your energy had returned, but you had no desire to move from your position. You felt safe, contented, comfortable. You were warm and Levi was rubbing your back, how could you ever remove yourself from this situation? It was everything you’d ever wanted without even realising it. He was perfect, he was absolutely perfect. You felt so emotional, more emotional than you’d felt in so many years, so much so that you were a little alarmed. _What if he thinks we’re too attached or something? He seems like the ‘love em and leave em’ type. Jesus, [F/N], pull yourself together._

“[F/N?]” You almost jumped at Levi’s voice breaking the silence.

“Hmm?”

“This… Isn’t easy for me to say, so I want you to just listen and not interrupt. Not... Not that you _would_ interrupt, because you’re quiet like me, but please just listen, okay?”

You giggled at how nervous he was. It was so out of character that it was positively adorable. Looking up at him from your place on his chest, you nodded. 

“You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever met, and I... Fuck, I don’t… Okay. You are beautiful, and I want to… Ugh, fuck. How do I say it? I’m so fucking awkward, fuck! How-”

He was cut off by your lips gently pressing against his, by your hand reaching up to cradle his face lovingly, by you nuzzling into his neck and closing your eyes contentedly. 

“Whatever you want from me, I’m yours, Levi. Now and forever, whatever you want. Whatever you… Whatever you.. Mmmm...” 

You had yawned in exhaustion before you could finish your sentence. You couldn’t help it. He was so warm and soft and comfortable. You were asleep before he could even process what you’d said, but he was completely overjoyed when he had. You were his… As he was yours. Now and forever. 

He dragged the covers from where they had been pushed aside and draped them over your naked bodies, playing with your hair absentmindedly as he let the events of the morning run through his mind. For the first time in his life, he felt like he didn’t need to run anymore. He was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about rambling in the start notes lmfao. It happens sometimes. 
> 
> I'm kinda jealous of Levi and Reader-chan tbh. When I lost my virginity it was nowhere near as fluffy and warm and nice, it was painful as fuck and I didn't even get to cum, THAT SHOULD NOT BE THE NORM. But idk it was a while ago so maybe times have changed and men are more considerate now lmfao idk.
> 
> This is like my ideal fantasy I guess. It's probably gonna get a lot more sexy and bondage-y as the story progresses. Watch out for that lmfao.
> 
> Follow You Down is the first song by Lights that I ever heard. Oh man it's a funny story. When I first moved to Portsmouth for uni, I was really homesick and sad and I was having a hard time, and the people living in my halls were so loud so I had to sleep with music on. I put an Owl City playlist on to sleep to (Adam Young Scores) because they're so nice and relaxing, and spotify has a feature when if you forget to put the playlist on repeat then it plays songs that it thinks you'd like. It was right. Follow You Down came on. You know how when you're sleeping with music on and sometimes the music is inserted into your dream?? That's what happened, I was dreaming, and the song was playing in real life and in my dream, and I woke up cause I was like whoa wtf is this amazing song. The same thing happened with Same Sea, I can still remember the dream! Anyway, it's very special to me, and it's my second favourite song from Midnight Machines. It's also the second of the two songs that doesn't have an electronica alter-ego on Little Machines. I highly recommend checking that album out btw, it's fucking L I T
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0LUZLlhXIU
> 
> I'm off to play Overwatch. Thanks for reading <3 <3 <3


	8. Don't Go Home Without Me (NSFW - kinda)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the morning after. Oh golly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY REMEMBER ME?? Sorry for uh, not updating in a while. I have some fun news though which I will put at the end so you can enjoy the (very short - sorry) chapter that I have prepared for you today. This is the final chapter of this lil story, which means my first fic has come to an end! Sad times, but also... I feel good. I did wanna make this a bit longer initially but then I was like nah, the album I based this fic off only has 8 tracks so I wasn't sure what else to add. Plus I finished writing what I originally set out to write so I didn't really have any ideas. After careful consideration, that's why I decided to end this fic here. Don't worry though, I'm certain I will be writing more fics in the near future. Pinky promise ;)

Floating weightlessly through the atmosphere is a wonderful feeling. There’s no pressure, no worries, nothing stressful… Titans? What are they? There’s nothing up here but warmth, comfort and safety. Just you and your lover, tangled limbs and entwined fingers, blissfully oblivious to the perils that lie just beyond the walls. 

You awoke with a start in unfamiliar surroundings for the second time in less than 24 hours. It took a few seconds to realise that the firm mass of muscle sound asleep beneath you was the man with which you had showed nothing but the most intimate part of yourself… Remembering the events of the morning made your heart speed up a little, a blush creeping up your cheeks like a thick fog. You could feel its heat staining your skin. The expression on your captain’s face was so innocent and peaceful. He already looked deceptively youthful, but without the bored expression or the scowl or the 30+ years of trauma painting his features with its sombre hue, Levi looked like a little puppy that you wanted to quite literally give your life to protect. 

You were lying on top of his chest, his arms wrapped around your back and resting softly on your naked skin. It was clear that he had fallen asleep after you, as one of his hands was positioned suspiciously like it had been playing with your hair before its owner succumbed to exhaustion. You didn’t want to move if your life depended on it; you were quite happy to stay with him like this forever, but the loud voices outside the door were threatening to break the peace. _What the fuck do they want now?_

Levi’s eyes had opened the second you turned your head towards the sound. His fingers flexed ever so slightly along your spine, a shudder crawling its way up your sensitive nerves. He was just as comfortable as you, despite still being _covered_ in filth. He recognised the voices outside belonging to Hange and Mike, and though they were muffled, he thought he could make out another, vaguely familiar voice among them. It seemed that whoever was outside was desperate to come in for whatever reason, but was prohibited entry by the overly enthusiastic scientist and the gentle giant. 

Having heard the commotion just outside the door, you took a quick glance towards the window to check the time. The sun was low in the sky, hiding behind the treetops, bathing the horizon with its warm, orangey rays. You began to panic.

“We slept all day?!” 

Excuses could be made for Levi, since he was supposed to be recovering from his injuries, but there was no reason for you to have abandoned your duties. You wondered how you’d even gotten away with it. Had you really been so tired from your… adult activities... that you’d managed to sleep through all potential interruptions? Through all your daily jobs? You were so lost in concerned thought that you hadn’t even noticed the agitated captain’s response to your frantic question. (A shame, as it probably would have eased your worry a little).

“Tch. Yeah. Doesn’t matter though. Sounds like Shitty-Glasses covered for us, judging by the fucking racket she’s making right now,” his sudden increase in volume startled you, pulling you out of your daze, **“HEY. FOUR EYES. PIPE THE FUCK DOWN, WILL YOU?”**

The door burst open, and a dishevelled Eren tumbled in, crushed beneath the hard, muscular bodies of the two senior officers. The poor child looked so uncomfortable. You thought it might have been because of the weight of Hange and Mike cutting off his air supply, until you realised that you were still naked, wrapped only in a thin sheet, and in a bed bed with an also very naked Levi. Regardless of how much affection you felt for him, this was an embarrassing situation to say the least.

To the sudden audience, your delayed reaction would have been amusing if it had not been completely out of character. The shock that registered on your face was obviously genuine, and what was even more surprising was the aftertaste of that blush peppering your cheeks; though it was rapidly returning from the exposure. Hange laughed. It was a short but bellowing quip of a thing, her surprise overshadowed by the suggestive glint in her eyes. 

“Whoops! Looks like we interrupted something important!” The section commander picked herself up off the floor before tenderly helping Eren up as well. Mike glared at her for ignoring him and his 196 cm of muscle and big dick energy. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, ya big baby. You can help yourself up. Eren’s a growing boy!” Mike’s huff was all that came in the way of a response. 

“We’ll be going now,” Hange’s voice rang clear as a bell in your head, “this one was convinced there was some kind of problem, that you’d died in your sleep or something. Judging from the noises I heard this morning… I don’t think that’s the case, is it, hmmmmm?”

Your embarrassment gave way to anger. This teasing was too much. It was bad enough that everyone had seen you in this compromising position, but the fact that they were going on about it in front of everyone was frustrating beyond belief. You were just about to explode on Hange, when you felt the gentle touch of Levi’s cool hand on your shoulder. It felt like a jolt of electricity, burning through your frayed nerves, setting them alight again. The reaction down below was instantaneous. You turned your head towards your lover, meeting his gaze with your own of feverous heat. His smug smirk was visible only to you. Not breaking eye contact with you or removing his hand from your shoulder, Levi spoke up again.

“Fuck off, Shitty-Glasses. Now.”

“Alright, alright, we’re going! Jeez. If you wanted some action you should have just sai-”

“NOW.” 

As soon as the door slammed and locked behind the little party, Levi pulled you towards him and crashed his lips onto yours, tangling his fingers in your hair and holding you close to him. His other hand snaked around your naked waist, squeezing your curves and pressing you to his chest even harder; the contact once again setting your body on fire. You couldn’t stop your hands from exploring his upper torso, running your fingers over his toned muscles and raking your fingernails along the exposed skin on his back.

Moans and grunts filled the room once again, and when Levi’s head dipped down to tease the sensitive flesh of your neck with his teeth, you took hold of his ebony locks and pulled, earning you a rather loud groan from the _very_ stimulated man beneath you. His fingers travelled lower, probing and memorising every inch of your delicate skin, like he wanted to glue his hands to you so he’d never have to stop. When they reached the desired place and found that you were already soaking wet, the captain paused his ministrations to look up at you with a cocky grin, turning your insides to mush. He was _so fucking beautiful._

Levi slipped a digit inside your entrance, biting his bottom lip hard when he felt your body respond so keenly to his touch. Your eyes were screwed shut, your mouth hanging open, your walls clenching around his finger… He hadn’t even started moving yet. How could he possibly have garnered such a reaction from you? Whatever the reason, he had all the time in the world to find out. Moving his head down again, the man bite down on your neck, hard enough to leave a mark. Your resounding moan was loud enough to illicite a thump from the soldiers stationed outside, and a giggle from someone who sounded suspiciously like Hange. 

This is how the two of you spent your afternoon together. Naked and exploring each other’s bodies. Levi wanted to spend the rest of his life in your embrace, and he was certain, from the way you clung to him, that you returned the sentiment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, that was that. The end of Midnight Machines! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> My news? I got into university!! Again. But I'm doing Creative Writing now instead of History and I'm enjoying it a lot more. Thank you so much for reading this crap, honestly, and I'm so sorry for making you wait so long for the final chapter, and then making the final chapter so short hahahaha
> 
> As always, here is the link to the song that the chapter is named after:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_x7uQoDkK8
> 
> I thought this was a really really nice song to end the story with. I love you guys. Keep reading these smutty stories and flicking those beans. DON'T LET THE WORLD TAKE AWAY YOUR HORNYNESS. IT FADES AS YOU GET OLDER ;-;
> 
> Love you!!!  
> Hen <3


End file.
